The Other Side
by AWolfyMiss
Summary: Link sails across the ocean to live in Hyrule. He meets his new guardian and a certain princess, but is held back from them when a deadly bunch of monsters begin to emerge from the trees.
1. A Letter

**I rewrote this fiction. The first two chapters weren't edited majorly, but starting with Chapter 3 I really started completely over. But everything was changed for the better, and this story is back and better than ever!**

Well, this is my first fanfic. I hope it goes well and I get some reviews… The characters personailities may seem a little different than what they should be (especially Link's) but that's just how I want the story to go. Just a warning. XD

**Summary **:

Link gets a letter and is sent to work for the Hylian King. After training for years under his new guardian Rais, Link finally meets the beautiful Zelda. But Hyrule is in danger, for dark spider creatures unexpectedly begin attacking the castle. Link may have been trained under an incredible fighter, but can he handle this new threat?

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Zelda or it's characters, but I own the characters I made myself.

**The Other Side**

_**Chapter 1 - A Letter**_

Tia was a much older woman, her hair had lost it's color long ago to a dull gray and her soft skin was now bagged and wrinkled. Her movements slowed down a great deal, and she slept much more often than she used to. Her sight was worse than it had ever been before, and her hearing was not at all any better. It seemed as though when a human aged they lost everything bit by bit as each year passed. That was not, however, true for Tia. Unlike the other old ladies around, she had not lost everything. Or, she supposed, think she lost everything.

She had always had a strong spirit and nature. She wasn't physically strong, but she would always hold her ground and stick to what she believed in. No person could keep her down, or bothered her for that. Then again, she did live in the middle of nowhere. Next to her small brown cabin, built by herself, was the beautiful and large Orma Ocean. A giant grassy plain with a dark patch of tall grass spread across her land on the other side of her home. A few cows and a large horse were grazing in the middle of the pasture. Chickens were heard clucking nearby, and the distant sound of goats and sheep were in the back of the grassy plain.

A small town about a days away from the home by carriage was Orma Village. It was tiny, but it had a sea route to one of the largest cities on the planet, Hyrule. Tia had chose to move away from the town and to a small piece of land by herself so she could protect her orphan.

-

About eleven years ago was when Tia first visited Orma. What she didn't realize about it at first was it's secret woods sleeping behind it. No one she discussed to about Orma had mentioned the place to her. Although she was still old and tired, she still had a lot of curiousity.

She traveled into the woods and got lost for three days. She was starving and worn out, and she had only packed a single meal, thinking she'd only be in the forest for a day. When it didn't seem like things could get any worse, her mule gave out on her, and she was left to either stay stuck in that spot or venture further and find at least something to eat.

The woods were large and foggy, giving it it's eerie atmosphere. Everything was damp and dark, and it stung to breathe the air. It smelled like any normal forest, but it was so strong it would hurt to take too deep of a breath.

After traveling for quite some time, she came upon a monstrous sized tree. It was about twenty times bigger than any of the other twigs poking out of the dirt. The air around seemed lighter there too, which she soon realized was for the hundreds of small fairies bobbing around in it's branches. Their giggles and tiny voices echoed through the area, making it seem dream-like. A bright yellow light hung around and random colors of blue, gold, pink, and green dotted it's sheet. It's power enveloped her.

A scream escaped from the darker part of the woods. Her head jerked from the sudden disturbance. Ahead in the distance was the shadow of a young girl running. She was holding something in her arms, it was large and covering her left shoulder. Leaves were spraying out from under her feet, and as she neared Tia she could hear her hard and deep breaths. Tia quickly rose to her feet, fast as she could get herself up. The woman ran under the tree and dropped to the ground. The fairies were frightened and darted up into the magnificent branches of the tree.

_"Calm down, young one. You are in sight and are safe for the moment." _

Tia jumped and jerked her head around. The voice was strange, it was deep and powerful, but it felt like a hum against her skin. The woman jumped up with the blanket and fell against the tree, her free hand reaching up and resting against the bark, while the other held on to the item.

"Great Deku! Please help me! He's trying to kill me, my baby! Help!" Her eyes were soaked with her own tears. The wind blew strong after the girl spoke. Tia didn't know who she was talking to, but she ran over to try and help her. The girl hadn't noticed her until now, and her pleading eyes looked into Tia's. She shoved her baby into Tia's hands.

"Please... take him away from the woods... keep him away from the woods... stay in Orma... just keep away from the woods... please..." She begged while yanking on her shirt. Tia nodded and pulled away from her.

_"Feather, he's coming. Run. Don't turn around and look back. Keep going. Don't turn around and look back."_

The woman jumped and took off in the other direction. Tia held tight to the baby, who was crying now.

_"I will guide you to safety."_

A blue fairy plunged from the tree. It was a sky blue color, and difficult to see in the foggy woods. She was startled by it's high and enthusiastic voice.

"It's my duty to carry out the orders of the great Deku Tree! Follow me now and I will help you!" The fairy sped past her and over her shoulder, leaving a trail of blue dust behind it. "Come come! No time to waste now!" Tia blinked, but followed the small fairy away from the giant tree.

-

All Tia could remember after that was being in Orma Village with the baby. She moved to the open plains near Orma, but safe enough distance to where her orphan would not make any mistakes near the strange woods. She would not let the scared mother down.

Sown in the baby's blanket was the name 'Link'. She decided to name him that, since he was not her own to begin with. He was a good child, he always did what his Aunt Tia wanted him to do. He cared for the cows, chickens and other animals, and always took excellent care of her crops. His aunt was old, and he respected her and helped her out all he could.

"Link! Get ready, we're going into town to sell the milk and such." Tia barked through the house. Link quickly jumped out of his small bed. He had made himself a new outfit for the town. It was even in his favorite color, green. He snatched it off the dresser and started yanking and pulling the pieces on his body. When he finished, he viewed his fine art that fitted neatly on his body in the mirror.

He placed his hands on his hips and gave different face impressions in the mirror. Tia called for him again. He gave a big, gleeful smile and darted into the kitchen where the door was open and Tia was waiting. Her eyebrows shifted and gave a half smile.

"What's that...?" She asked him. He still had a huge smile planted on his face.

"It's my new clothes." He replied proudly. "Do you like them? I made them myself!" He was so excited he looked as if he'd jump out of his boots. She smiled.

"Of course I do. They're wonderful. Now, let's go!" She motioned him out the door. He beat her to the carriage and opened the door for her. Once they both seated inside, Link grabbed the reins and Racer started trotting along. Racer was the only horse Tia could have afforded, and he was all she needed at the moment.

"Now, Link, do we remember all the rules about going into town?" Aunt Tia was being very serious about this. Link sighed.

"Yes, I remember everything Aunt Tia." He sat up straight and began receiting them. "No chasing the chickens, don't talk to men taller than me, always let the ladies go first, don't pet any animals without asking, don't touch Raggy's window..." He continued to recite until Tia interrupted.

"And the most important rule?" Tia asked. Link took a breath.

"Most important, don't go near the woods." He said.

-

Raggy gave Tia a handful sum of bills for her shipment. "Thank you, Miss T. We appreciate your business and can't wait 'til you come back." It was stated in a rythmic pattern. Link lazed around in the carriage, being impatient as usual. Tia nodded, although she never approved or liked Raggy, and continued back to her carriage. Raggy held up a index finger.

"Uh, one more thing Miss T." He said and pulled out a large square envelope from his pocket. It was a pearl white with decorative trumpets on the side. "You have a letter." He said giving a smile. Tia was startled, but took it nonetheless. He continued to smile. "It wasn't necessarily to you, it was to Link. It seems like they've been trying to get connected to him for awhile. I knew he lived with you, so I decided to forward it to you."

She looked puzzled. No one knew him. Why would they want him? How did they know he lived in Orma? She slowly tore the pearly white seal open and pulled out the note.

It read :

_Dear Miss Feather and your son, Link :_

_Ms. Feather, I have been trying to get hold of you for quite some time now. I remember you wanting to send Link to my palace to be a warrior when he became ten to begin training. I still have your payment for it. Please, if you get my letter send Link here right away. I feel it is necessary, he is a year behind in training. Thank you and best wishes,_

_The Hylian King, Lord Hyrule_

Tia had promised she would carry out the mother's wishes. She closed the flap of the letter and bit her lip. Hyrule was across Orma Ocean. This meant that she may never see Link again.

-

Like it?

Hope so. Continue reading, this story only ever gets better and better. J I don't think I did quite so bad when I first wrote this chapter, so there wasn't a whole lot I had to change. I'd have to say it's my least favorite though… but I wanted to begin with his previous guardian before throwing him into his new one.


	2. Deadly Ship Ride

Yahoo! So glad you decided to continue reading. ;) I decided to add a lot of things here… make it more emotional, I suppose. Enjoy.

_**Chapter 2 - Deadly Ship Ride**_

Link brushed his hand down the horse's snout, and this time he didn't even have to stand on something to reach. The horse was still little, and just the right age to begin riding. Link continued to pet it slowly, although it kept nudging away. She was a shy animal, and was still a little shocked from leaving her ranch. Her coat was a dark maroon, and it faded down near her hooves to a pearly white. Her two eyes were a deep dark purple, giving off a pure bright violet whenever the sun hit them right.

A little girl with long golden brown hair was standing next to the horse. The horse nuzzled it's head close to her, and she frowned as she fed her a handful of hay. She stroked it's backside.

"Now, you have to feed and brush her every day, and don't forget to visit her. She still isn't used to you, so you should talk to and pet her lots." The girl leaned on the soft fur of the animal. "Don't forget about me, Epona. Be good for Link." She laid her head against Epona's side. She closed her eyes and began quietly humming.

Raggy loaded the last of Link's luggage on the ship. He looked over at the kids and the horse. He motioned his hand in the air and tucked his head down. "C'mon now. Ship's gonna be takin' off soon. Bring that horse over."

Tia wiped the tears away from her eyes. _This is what Feather wanted_, continued to repeat in her mind. She turned to the young girl helping Link push Epona onto the ship.

"Malon, tell your father thanks for the gift. Link has always wanted a horse of his own, even if all he would get was a mule." She laughed at that, but Malon said nothing. The men took the horse to the bottom of the ship, out of her sight. She held her hands up to her neck and sighed.

Link gave Tia one last hug. Tia placed her old hand on his head. "Now, don't forget about me. I want to get letters from you, let me know what's up." She tried to sound as happy as she could. She didn't want to cry in front of all these people, or make Link upset.

Link nodded and ran towards the boat where the sailors were yelling for him to hurry. Tia hurried as fast as her old legs would take her next to Malon. Malon was already waving. Link smiled and waved back.

"See ya, Malon!" He yelled. Malon placed her hands around her lips and called back.

"Good-bye Epona! I love you, don't forget about me!" She jumped up waving her hands around. Disappointed, Link waved to his aunt. She waved back, but the ship was too far away for him to hear anything his old aunt had to say. She wiped the tears she couldn't hold back from her eyes. She knew how much she would miss him. She closed her hand around the tissue in her hand, crushing it into a small ball. She watched the murky water below her wash up against the shore. It was the last time. She knew.

Link relaxed his grip on the bars around the ship. Land was out of sight now, and their was nothing but crystal blue water whipping against the boat's sides. There was a faint, calm wind and a few birds flapping gently above the massive boat. He looked down at the water and tried to spot any sea creatures. He wasn't getting much luck, until a shirt started floating past him. Then a pair of dark green pants. Another pale blue shirt. A pair of boots.

He jumped up and yelped. Those were his clothing. He quickly turned around to where his bag lay. A giant sailor had it open wide to it's capacity, and was viewing his garments and tossing them behind him into the ocean. Link ran over to the giant thug, keeping his balance as his boots squeaked against the puddles on top of the ship.

He snatched the handle of the bag and began pulling on it, trying to break the man's grip. "Hey, those are mine! Stop it!" The man laughed at him as he continued to struggle. Soon the large man became sick of the tug-o-war game, so he let go of the bag, sending Link through the air and on the ground. He walked towards him and lifted his massive foot, shoving it hard into Link's sensitive stomach. Link's hands slipped from his grip on the bag, which tumbled slowly threw the air, and fell back clutching his wounded belly. The bag hit the ground of the ship with a light thud and began to slide due to the rocking of the waves.

Link tried to sit up, but another large blow from the boot bashed him in the face. He wanted to let out a scream, but couldn't due to the pain his chin had just received. His body slid across the deck and the railing caught him from tumbling over into the water. He opened his eyes and quickly tried to figure out where the man went. Right in front of him.

He grabbed onto the railing for help, but the man swung his foot around him and spun him over on his stomach. Link rolled a few feet away and was sent another unwanted kick, which forced him into tumbling to the other side of the deck. His head felt the blow from the bar, sending a sting from the back of his head to his jaw. The man laughed and slowly edged toward the beaten child. He grabbed him by his hair.

"Listen, boy" He let the words escape through giant, crooked stubs in his mouth, or his teeth. "I can do what I want and feel like doin 'round here. No one messes with me, and I ain't lettin no punk kid come in here thinking he can run 'round and do what he wants. You listen to me and my crew, fill out what chores we got for ya, and then we'll let ya make it to Hyrule alive and well. Talk outta line or fight me again and I'll beat the livin shit outta ya." He dropped his head and let it smack against the wood. Link could barely move, even if he had wanted to.

-

He followed all of the crew mates orders exactly as he was told. He scrubbed all the floors, fed all the animals, and took care of anything else they could think of. The sailors became lazy, having a little slave doing _all _of their jobs made their lives easier. Link didn't get much sleep, about five hours a night. The men knew if he at least didn't get that, he'd most likely die, and bringing the Hylian king a dead boy wasn't going to look good on their part.

They played cards and relaxed all day while Link filled out their chores. Sometimes they even split his dinner among themselves, maybe leaving him some leftovers to pick at.

All this continued to go on for a week, until only a few days remained until they arrived in Hyrule. Link quickly jumped up when Jaw entered his room. He sat up straight on his bed, afraid if he bent over he'd be hit for disrespect.

Jaw plunged his cigar in his mouth and sat on the bench across from him. "Aright, listen kid, we're gonna be comin in to Hyrule in couple o' days. You don't gotta do chores no more, but you still haft to listen to my every word. Your gonna get more sleep, more food, so ya can look all good and healthy in Hyrule. One more thing, boy." Link hadn't moved an inch. Jaw sucked on the cigar and narrowed his eyes at the tiny boy.

"Yes, sir?" His voice was scratchy and shaky. He could feel himself shaking while he sat. He wanted him to leave so badly, he didn't want to see the sailor ever again.

Jaw smiled at this. "No man, woman, kid or dog eva hears bout what went on in tis ship. If so, I'll make sure you get punished for your disobedience. Understood?" He pulled his cigar from his mouth and blew some smoke. Link nodded, still shaking in his seat.

"O-of course, sir. I won't step out of line." He had a death grip against the sheets of his bunk. He wanted no trouble with this man.

Jaw grinned, but got up satisfied with torturing him for the day. Link felt like a glob of jelly from all the shaking. His joints were sore.

-

He had never felt so free when he first stepped off the ship. He held only the letter he received and the reins to his new horse, Epona. The thugs threw everything else into the sea. He ran off the deck as quickly as possible, not bothering to say good bye to Jaw or his thugs.

After running in the town for a few hours, he stopped next to a small market and leaned against the wall. He had no idea where he was going. He opened the letter and read it over and over. There were no instructions. He looked around and about him. Maybe there was someone here who could help him.

He approached various people, asking where the Hylian King was, but people ignored his ignorance and shoved him out of the way. After numerous tries and obviously getting absolutely nowhere, he walked back to Epona and sat next to her. He placed his head in his hands.

A young woman holding a chain of keys approached the door he was next to. She stopped when she noticed the unusual site of a boy and a young horse sitting in front of a flower store. Was he lost?

"Um... little boy? Where's your mom? Are you okay?" She asked leaning down near him. Epona backed away, fearing this new person, and Link jumped when he heard someone close to him. He eased knowing it was a woman, he developed a fear of grown men on the ship.

"I... I got a letter from the king. But I don't know where to go." He told her. She smiled and took the letter he handed her. She read it and almost collapsed. The boy wasn't lying to her.

-

She found one of the guards of the town, proving the visit with a letter, and the guard took young Link and his young horse into the yard of the castle. The guard was fascinated by the letter, and was honored to be the one to take Link inside the magnificent castle of Hyrule.

It's size was breathtaking for a small kid who used to live in a tiny brown cabin. Link was possessed by the structure and shining white bricks standing it. It was bigger than Orma was itself, shining like armor against the blue sky. The guard held Epona's reins in hand, and was puzzled by Link's gazing.

"Are you from around here, Link?" He asked him. Link slowly shook his head back and forth. The guard smiled, everything making perfect sense to him now.

-

Decent chapter. It gets better and better, I tell you! XD

Well, hope you weren't too hurt by the sailors. It was pretty violent, but in a way it could explain why Link develops into the person he does. But hope you still want to read!


	3. New Guardian

I changed a lot of this chapter, but it only makes it all better. Still happy you're reading! Link's going to be sixteen in the next chapter.

This chapter is extremely important to the story… I guarantee if you don't read it you won't understand anything else that happens in the future.

_**Chapter 3 - New Guardian**_

As another guard took Epona away, Link's led him into the palace.

The inside of the castle was more beautiful than the outside. The walls were the same pearly white the letter had been, and at the top of the castle walls were diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls in different shapes and patterns. Link admired every single one of them, continuing to look at every object and person in awe.

The guard led him through many turns and twists, until finally they came upon a long red carpet leading to a long rectangular table with about ten guards surrounding it. Link followed the one who he was familiar with to the end of the table. The man there looked up at the man who saluted him, and then down to the sensitive Link. He blinked ignorantly while he continued to stare. The man glared.

The guard next to Link began to speak, "Sir, this boy has recieved this letter." He handed over the bright square note. He opened it and read what it contained, and then slowly tucked it away.

"Ah, it seems we've been expecting you." Was all he said to Link. He turned to the guard. "Take him downstairs, some one will meet you there to discuss plans for him." He commanded, and Link was pushed off back the way they came.

-

They sat at a lone bench next to a large pond in the middle of the castle. The guard said nothing to him and Link wasn't sure if he should ask questions. He rocked back and forth in his seat, wondering how his aunt was doing without his help on the farm. He hadn't wrote her yet, and he didn't know what to say after the miserable ship ride he had.

Footsteps were heard from his right, and another guard dressed in the identical gray armor approached them. He lifted Link by his arm and on his feet. "I will be taking the boy from here, on with your duty." He commanded and grabbed Link's forearm, dragging him along. Link struggled to keep up, but he didn't fight knowing the man really didn't mean harm. Or, he hoped not.

The room that they entered was very peaceful. It contained five waterfalls, two on the left and two on the right walls, while in the center was an even bigger one drowning onto the floor, which was covered by three inches of water. The room seemed to have no ceiling, instead it faded away into green colors and then white light.

The man let go of Link. He nodded to him. "Well, you can go from here. Good luck in training." Puzzled, Link turned to look at him, but he walked so fast he didn't have time to ask what he should do.

He stood there, unsure of what he should do. He let his blue eyes wander and take in the beauty of the room. He looked closer at the waterfalls, and noticed that there were doors behind them, leading into smaller rooms. The doors were decorated in shining jewels that were wet with the mist from the waterfall. They glittered quietly behind the rushing water.

The walls also had giant jewels of different colors on the walls. Link wondered how such a place could be built. Had humans built it, or had something else carved such a beautiful place?

He lost himself in his thoughts. The room was too quiet, besides the rushing water, and peaceful to be able to stay focused on anything. He was becoming so relaxed without realizing it.

"Ah, I have been waiting a long time to train the son of Norman." Out of the waterfall a young man exited from the water and down onto the pool. His eyes were pure blue, with semi long hair strands taping his cheeks. The hair was white, but when the light hit it at the right point it would portray different bright colors off as shadows. His outfit was tight around his body, while a long sword escaped from behind him.

Link lost any relaxation he had and fell back into the water. He had not been expecting this man nor did he have any idea who he was, so he didn't trust him at all. He felt his heart pounding madly in his chest. He was alone in a room with a man he didn't know, and it was scaring the hell out of him. He had only lived with an old woman for his entire life, and then the first adult men he ever met beat him. Was he supposed to be okay?

The tall man could see his discomfort, and was appalled by his sudden mood change. He could sense his wariness when he first entered the room and he let the chamber relax him before he approached him, hoping that he wouldn't startle him too much. But now he looked like he was having a heart attack.

Link jumped up and headed for the door, getting on his feet out of the water. He wasn't soaked, he could feel the water rolling right off him and his clothing, leaving him just as dry as he had been before. He headed for the door, but was cut off by the white haired man running in front of him.

He ran straight into the taller man's hands, and felt him grab his wrists. Link struggled beneath him, yelling like he was trying to kill him.

But he stopped yelling when he felt a warm sensation wash through his body through his wrists. His head felt warm and his body relaxed. He was still afraid, but felt very safe being in the strange room with the strange, white haired man.

"There we go…" He let go of Link's wrists causing Link to fall back on his side. "Sorry, Link… I guess I overdosed you a little… but my goodness, what is wrong?"

Link said nothing, only trembled and rolled on his back. His head was touching the pool, and it felt warm against him. The taller man watched him, and looked at his arms and bare legs. Bruises and scars were all over him, but weren't noticeable enough until brought into the right light. He walked around to Link's head and bent over, lifting him up so that he was sitting upright.

"With all of those scars it would seem that someone's hurt you… is that why you're afraid?" He put his hands right beneath Link's elbows, lifting him up and placing him on his feet. He turned him around so that they faced each other. "But don't worry… that's why I'm here. To teach you how to defend yourself."

Although Link was still afraid, he was beginning to trust this person. He hadn't hurt him at all and if anything only helped him. The man smiled at him.

"My name is Rais. I'm your new guardian… do you want to begin your new training, my young friend?" Rais held out his hand to him, offering him help back into the shallow water. Link paused, but took it. He pulled back into the chamber and motioned for him to go to the center of the pool. Link did, while Rais went back into the waterfall to retrieve something.

He returned with a small silver shield and a tiny silver sword. Both of them matched each other, both decorated in blue jewels and the Hylian symbol.

"These are for you," He tossed them in front of Link, and they sank below the water and hit the pool's bottom. Link watched the jewels glitter under the water, and reached in picking them both up, the sword in his right and the shield in his left. Rais watched him while he crossed his arms against his chest. "Yes, they are nice looking weapons but they aren't very powerful. We you get older and more skilled, I will give you something much nicer." He grinned again, while pulling out a long, silver sword. It was dotted with rainbow colored jewels around it's handle, while it also had a bright, round blue jewel at the center, the same color as his eyes.

"Do you feel well enough to begin? We are a year behind training, but don't worry. We can catch up, I promise." Rais winked at him. He was unsure if the training just wasn't important or Rais was just certain they could make it up. But whether it was a little of both or neither, Link knew he had to do it. This was his new guardian.

"Let's start by getting you used to your new weapons." He looked at Link's stance, and motioned him to come forward. Link tried, but the sword and shield were heavier than he thought. He had trouble moving. The water was only making it worse.

"Why do I have to do it in water?" Link fell backwards, dropping the sword and shield. Rais walked towards him.

"By training in water you'll be able to build muscle faster and be faster when you fight on ground. This is good for you." He picked up Link's shield, showing him the backside. "See the flap? Curl your hand around it, so that your fingers face you. Now get your sword and stand up." Link did as he was told, holding the shield and sword the way Rais instructed. Everything seemed to feel lighter now, but still was quite a task for him.

Link grunted when he dropped the sword again, but picked it up and stood once more. Rais smiled. "Good… it's not going to be so hard to get you used to this." He pulled the sword close to his face. "Try attacking me now."

Link attacked him while Rais blocked all of his blows and studied the way he moved his sword. "Good… but try less stabbing and more swinging…" Link tried swinging the blade around more, while Rais blocked all of his attacks. He only grew more and more frustrated as he couldn't seem to hit him.

Rais blocked his last blow and hit the sword back at him, catching him off guard and tossing him through the air. Link blinked and watched as Rais walked towards him as he sat in the water.

"That's enough for today… but you did good. Don't be frustrated about not hitting me; it was only your first day with a sword. I've been using one for years." Rais placed his sword back and lifted Link up off the ground. He pointed to the small waterfall closest to them. "That's your room. Take your weapons with you… you should have everything you need." He looked at Link oddly, and Link jumped a little, intimidated by the man.

Rais half smiled and slightly angled his head. "Did you not have clothes in your previous home?" Link stared and remembered Jaw throwing all of his clothes off the ship. He swallowed.

"Uh… I lost them… I mean, my bag. I lost my bag." Rais only stared at him, and he stared back, feeling awkward.

"Well… I guess we'll have to find you new ones later, huh?"

-

Link's room felt warm and smelled nice. It was just a hole carved into the wall, but he had enough privacy. There was a window, but it didn't lead to the outside world. It had a fake picture and glowed into the room, resembling an actual window. Link had found this strange, but grew to liking the idea after awhile. There was a curtain in case he was annoyed by it.

The room itself had a bed, table, and a dresser. All of them were decorated in rich jewels and the bed was covered in blue sheets, while the floor was cement, but the tiles looked expensive. He continued forgetting he was in a castle. Everything was expensive and high quality, but he was used to run down and ugly.

Once Link set down the sword and shield down on the table, he noticed a book sitting on top of it. It was brown, but had no title or numbers on the cover or the binding. He opened it to a random page, and was curious to it's contents due to it's old, worn pages.

_A small tribe lived in the deepest part of Orma Woods. It consisted of ten people who each played an important role in the party to keep it alive and going. They could not share their opinions and selves to anyone outside the tribe._

He blinked. The book was notes that were taken by a person. He used to live in Orma.

_Fairies were the native powers of the universe. They sprout from lone and weak energies falling into nowhere, grew a simple set of wings and light and became the weak existence of fairies._

_They usually preferred to wander alone, until gradually many of them began to appear and hang around the same areas. They began shading their bodies in new colors, brighter and brighter each generation. Most were one unique color and white, but some never took the white tint._

_While they were weak alone, together their powers formed and developed greatly. Together they created huge masses of light and sound, but it was the only magic the planet was blessed. The fairies wanted to unite and beautify the place; make it worth a lifetime. _

_They gathered in one lone area that felt right to start at. They all used their magic and tried to create a new life; one that could then once again make more lives and help the planet slide off it's dullness. The plan proved effective._

_The king flourished from the dull and lifeless earth, and began to shed off the kind and pure thoughts of the fairies. They had successfully created a creature with enough power to push life on it's feet._

_The remaining fairies that did not believe it would work were jealous. They had no part in the king's creation and were furious by the thought. They came together and repeated the process, but their minds were filled with hatred and regret, creating a queen who shed off their dark thoughts. The fairies never had bad intentions; they didn't know that their feelings and thoughts effected the birth of life._

_The two were both born on two different sides of the planet. The queen wanted all parts of the planet to herself, so she headed to where the king rested to scrape him off. _

_Both the king and queen created creatures resembling their own self image. The king flourished the forest in massive plants with tall trunks and bright leaves growing from thin branches. The queen spawn manifesting parasites who sucked the life from the roots of the plants. The king had enriched the forest with it's green beauty and gave it the gift of life. The queen enriched the forest with animals who killed to keep their lives. She gave the forest the unpleasant death. _

_The king hated the queen. She forced animals to feed off each other, created underground parasites that destroyed his trees, and spun the unpleasant death on the woods. She did it all to make him weak. That way she could take over the woods and rule all._

_So he created the rebirth. Once a soul was lost from life, it was recreated down into another body to live again. He provided it to all plants and all animals. The queen was enraged. She enforced her death; the king enforced life, and something new took birth._

_Humans emerged in areas of the forest. They were just as smart and witty as the king and queen; but didn't have the powers to control the patterns and phases of life. When the two monarchs powers fought, their own powers were lost from them and imprinted in the souls of humans. They no longer controlled the way things worked, and humans became the dominant species._

_The tribe existed of ten people, who passed on the powers to their children. Each were unique and played an important role to the power they held._

He noticed two lists that were beneath the sentence. The lists had names next to the 'powers'. But what did it all mean?

_Courage_

_Law_

_Vision_

_Sound_

_Possibility_

_Wisdom_

_Feelings_

_Touch_

_Life_

_Death_

The next list had names, but some were left blank.

_Courage & Sound - Tassel_

_Law - King Hylian_

_Vision - _

_Possibility & Touch - _

_Wisdom & Feelings - Rais_

_Life - Feather ?_

_Death - Corono_

Life a a question mark next to it. Who was Feather?

_The holder of Death was always looked upon as untrustworthy. And it was true. The holder of death was the one out of ten on the queen's side. The one that always allowed the queen her chance to come back. Come back and rule._

_Life and Death were the two ultimate powers. Death was the small, but still alive, power of the queen. If Life was ever destroyed, Death would rule the other eight and the queen would emerge and take over the forest and the rest of the planet. The same if Death was ever destroyed._

_The king tolerated it and soon found peace. The queen was furious and fought the humans. They grew to despise her and took side with the king. They helped him lock her away deep in the ground where all her evil would stay while the forest slept under the guardianship of the king._

Link stopped reading and closed the book, feeling a dreading feeling from the story. Was it just some sort of fairy tale or had it really happened?

He heard Rais calling him, and he closed the book, leaving it on the table. He didn't want Rais to know that he had been snooping around something he knew wasn't supposed to be there.

He hurried outside, taking his shield and sword with him.

-

Well, that was Rais. He's pretty sweet, isn't he? (That's because I made him up) XD But I hope you liked this chapter, and if you've read this story before, I hope you liked it better. This chapter came out much longer than the first one, and I'm much happier with it.

Keep going! An incredible journey awaits you. ;)


	4. The New Link

I've always like big Link better than little Link. His personality might not seem too much like the Link most people imagine, but this is the way I want him to be. A little immature.

And so, keep reading my friends! XD

_**Chapter 4 - The New Link**_

The sun was beating down on the miles of pasture across Hyrule. Many townsfolk were out doing their everyday things, even though it was a hotter day than usual. They were intent on keeping their markets going, making sure money continued circling through the family. Most of them took short breaks to get a drink of water or to water the few plants they had nearby.

Five years. Five years since Link had came to Hyrule, training and working as hard as he could to improve his skills and make Rais proud of him. The training was hard and tiresome, but extremely effective. Link grew into a strong sixteen year old, excellent swordsman and an incredible horseback rider. Epona was much bigger and stronger herself, which was almost hard to believe considering how small she used to be. Link's willpower seemed to rub off on her, molding into the perfect animal.

Her hair grew out in long strands that whipped against Link's face as they galloped across the long plains. He had won himself a fair share of horse races and sword fights; although, Rais had forbidden him to do them. But Link preferred his own way to making cash. Rais wasn't happy knowing that Link was using the skills and strategies he learned for gambling.

Epona hit the edge of the hill that led down to the markets. Link edged her on. "Hah!" He smacked her on her back hind. "Keep going!" He cheered her on.

The shipment from Orma arrived today. Link was unaware of this, since he was really only going into town so he could get himself some food and supplies. He headed through the markets on his steed proudly, ignoring most of the passersby. He looked ahead and saw the Orma ship unloading boxes, recognizing the man who had taken him from Orma to his current home.

He yanked on Epona's reins. She skid in an instant, but she had been going so fast that she didn't stop sliding till they hit the edge of the deck. Spooked by the deep ocean, she reared back and trotted back just as fast as she had come upon it. Link calmed her down and she slowed.

One of the men on the ship lifted his old swollen lip. "The hell you doin?" He growled down at Link. Link squinted up at him while the sun shone in his eyes. He held his hands over his eyes, recognizing the ship's captain. He grinned.

"Hey," He replied lifting his eyebrow. "If it isn't my good buddy, Jaw." He removed his hand from the rein and gave a slow wave. Jaw stared, studying the boy. He knew he couldn't have been too old.

Jaw rolled a raw piece of thin wood around in his mouth. He leaned against the rail of the old ship and managed to cock a smile. "If it t'ain't little old kid we met not to long go." He managed spitting through his gigantic swollen, pink lips. "Wot was your name 'gain? Pink or something?" He laughed as some of his friends behind him chuckled along with him. Link half way cocked his head and gave him a strange look.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't catch that." He said calmly as ever. Jaw narrowed his eyes, giving him a dirty look. Link couldn't help but smile at it. This was his chance for a little revenge.

"Listen, boy, I don't want no trouble 'round here. Take that overgrown mule o' yours and beat it." Link shrugged his shoulders, petting Epona. He pulled her reins a little, causing her to take a few steps back and turn.

"I have no idea what your talking about." He placed a hand on his hip and the other held Epona's rein. "Oh well, I mean you'd have to be an idiot to understand one, right?" He laughed at that, as if it were part of a pleasant conversation.

Jaw grabbed the closest and heaviest item he could find, happening to be one of the hammer's from a box, and tossed it straight down towards Link and his frightened pony. Link yanked her reins up and she pulled out of the way, while the hammer smacked the concrete and flung into the water. Link kicked her sides and she toppled forward. With great force and speed, Epona rode forward and jumped onto the ship. The sailors all backed out of the way as the steel hard hooves clambered easily down onto the ship.

Link hopped off the second Epona had landed. He smacked hard on the behind and she lunged forward without him. Two sailors nearby saw their chance, and attacked him on both sides. Link began with the one who was in front of him, he charged at him and head butted him. He was too fat and old to get up and do anything after that. Just as soon as he fell down, the one from behind snatched Link with his two massive arms. Link struggled a bit from being held in the air, but came to his senses and started to repeatedly kick into the fat thug's shin. He let go of Link to nurse his wound, while Link enjoying the fun of hitting the guys around, thrust his knee into the fat man's thick, vomit colored skin. It caused him to roll to the other side of the deck, unconscious.

The other seven proved to be easy battle. The remaining three approached him, this time with weapons in their hands. Link pulled out his shield, blocking their weak blows. They hit his shield without damaging it, and Link used his arms and legs to finish the battle. All of them ended up on the ground crying.

There was one left, though. Of course it was Jaw. He hadn't moved since he threw the hammer, and was furious. He roared and charged at Link. Link placed both fingers in his lips and whistled. Out from the behind, the dark maroon horse charged her way around the ship. She tackled and galloped over Jaw as if he didn't exist.

Link wrapped his right arm around her neck and pulled himself on top of her. She raised her head high while she jumped off the ship and back onto the dock. She trotted away from the ship with ease, but wouldn't have if she saw the water. A lot of the townsfolk stared, some in amazement and others a little disturbed by the beating, but happy about it. The sailors had caused a lot trouble with them too, it seemed. Link continued to edge Epona on, while a girl from the shadows peered from under an expensive looking purple gown.

"What's with all the stares?" Her voice was softer than a morning breeze to him. He took a breath and looked behind him at the townsfolk. The men stared with satisfaction while the women giggled.

He smiled at that. "Just admiring the beauty, I would think." He said showing off his fit body once again. He turned back to see her laughing. He had found her quite attractive, but he wasn't sure if she thought he was. He stopped Epona from trotting as he got closer to her.

"Well, you must not be down here often enough. I'm sick of getting all the attention." She looked up at him, as he peered down at her with curiosity.

"Haha." He laughed, thinking it was a joke like the one he made. Getting all the stares and laughs because of his looks.

"Ah? Don't you know who I am?" She was shocked that he thought she was joking, but found it humorous at the same time. "Where do you live?"

Link grinned at her, but looked away when he answered. "I live in the castle. So, who are you then?" The girl blinked in amazement, appalled that he didn't know who she was.

"I'm Princess Zelda… I'm the King's daughter." Link blinked in amazement.

"Wow… I didn't know he had a daughter." She stared at him, but ended up laughing. He laughed along with her, in amazement that he never heard about her or seen her. Why hadn't Rais ever said anything?

He was about to ask her a question, but then a loud alarm rang through the streets. Zelda jumped and stared back at the castle. Something was up; it was a warning.

"I'm sorry, um…" She stopped, realizing that she didn't know his name. "Um… I'll see you later! I'm always at the castle." She wanted to continue, but the alarm was further starting to scare her. She wanted to get back to where she would be safe. "I have to go!"

Link watched her leave, emotionless. He wanted to stop her but knew he shouldn't. He wondered if he was even allowed to talk to her, she being the princess.

He sighed, before realizing that he should probably head back and find Rais. He stroked Epona's head and neck, thinking. He wasn't worried about anyone attacking him, for he felt very confident in himself that whoever tried to pick a fight with him would lose. Then he started thinking of Zelda… he had been interested in girls, but she was much prettier than the ones he was used to talking to. He had a girlfriend once, but it was someone that Link had never really wanted to think about ever again.

He sat still on Epona while the townspeople started running into their shops and homes, locking everything up and shutting curtains and blowing out candles. The alarms grew louder.

He continued daydreaming until his head began to throb. He held it while Epona started to pace, getting a little spooked. She could sense his discomfort and the alarms weren't helping her any. Link began to hear the familiar voice he had been used to for years, and hearing it echo around him was starting to hurt.

_"Link, I need you at the castle now. Quickly now, we're receiving some... unexpected guests?"_

Link yanked his hair. The voices were so loud, it was painful. What was going on. "Agh! What is this! Rais!!" His eyeballs were even beginning to sting now. It felt like someone was hammering through his skull, on every side of it.

_"It's only telepathy. It will prove to greatly help you in the future. Come on! The town's not safe!"_

With one eye still closed from the pain, he urged Epona on and towards the Hylian palace. As he trotted on and Rais's voice faded away with the wind, the pain left his head. Rais could talk to him through telepath, but he hoped he'd never do it again. He couldn't stand the pain.

-

It had about ten black, long and gooey legs protruding from a bloody purple body. One red circle with a thin black line down the middle was in it's center. It was the eye. There were hundreds of the growling beasts burning down the yard with blood red acid they spit from their fangs.

Link rode upon Epona and watched the disgusting bugs slobber over everything. After experimental fighting with one, he found the stomach and eyes were the most sensitive areas. He began attacking them one by one, killing each one with a blow to it's most sensitive spot.

_"You can't kill them all by yourself, Link. You need some help."_

He winced at the pain, but didn't let his guard down. At least he was going to get some help.

-

Well, it wasn't really an important chapter but it was satisfying. He meets Zelda and is introduced to his new enemies, so I find that important enough for it's own chapter.

Anyways, hope it wasn't too bad. I had to change a few things but found myself having trouble adding things to it. I'm thinking it's because it's an introduction to things. As much as I hate it, introductions are probably my weakest points in writing. I know that isn't a good thing either, because introductions are extremely important in stories… but I try. If anyone has some tips for me on writing intros, I would extremely appreciate the help.

If you notice anything that I could use some work on… please tell me. I really love it when I get a review and someone gives me a tip, because in the past those tips have greatly helped me out.

But anyways, hope your enjoying the story. I guess if you've made it this far your at least curious, huh? XD


	5. Headaches

YES! You made it to chapter five! (You receive a 'Made it to Chap 5' medal) YAHOO!

Oh no… headache… (Get it? Chap 5 - Headaches?)

…

Uh…

Just get on with the story before I embarrass myself further…

_**Chapter 5 - Headaches**_

Rais had a horse fit in a sleek black fitting coat, and unlike Link he kept the hair growing off the back of his neck trimmed. Rais still had his sharp and glowing sword he kept for all these years. He grasped the blue jewel handle and helped Link slice the vomiting bugs into their graves.

They released terrible squeals when they were killed, it sounded like a dieing rat. They bled strongly scented thin glue, most likely resembling the creature's blood, that burnt the grass into brown dead patches. The colors of it were always different; red, orange, green, violet, and rarely dark blue. Some of them were small and some were big. They were an unusual race of creatures; almost as if they were imperfect. Created by something imperfect.

Link enjoyed stabbing them in the eye, flinging them overhead, and slicing them above him, while quickly escaping the path of acid. He continued doing it, even though he was putting himself in harm's way. Rais continued scolding him, but he couldn't stop him for he had to pay attention to the battle. Link only laughed every time he was yelled at.

They eventually rid the field of the ugly monsters, but the field unfortunately wasn't saved. It was half dead, covered in the gruesome smell of puke and blood, and was cluttered with giant dark purple and fuzzy bodies.

"Link, you _weren't_ listening to me. You know what would have happened if that acid managed to hit you? You would have been burnt to the bone and most likely killed. Skin is nothing compared to the strength of your sword. Your body can't handle the acid like the sword could. And think of your horse! She'd be dead due to your foolishness! What are you coming into Link? You never listen anymore, you never--" Link slumped in his seat on Epona. He rested his chin in his hand and let out a sigh. Rais could go on forever and ever and ever and never think of someway to stop bickering and get over it.

The guards took their horses away and Rais was still going. Link wasn't listening anymore and just stared forward like nothing was happening. Rais shook his head and rubbed it with his right hand, leaning the other on his hip. Link began walking the other direction while poking his index finger to the ceiling.

"I'm gonna go take a stroll... um... around the castle and such! See you later!" He barked happily and frantically took off. Rais hadn't moved from his position, too annoyed and deep in thought to say anything. He watched Link as he wandered aimlessly away. He glared, knowing Link was looking for escape. He had been such a good kid to start, and then the power went to his head as he got older.

"Link… I'd hate for you to learn your lesson the hard way." He only whispered it as he saw Link turn the corner and disappear. Rais turned and headed for his chamber. He rubbed his swore arms as he walked. The battle had taken a lot out of him, fighting, thinking, and yelling all at the same time. He knew it wasn't good for him.

-

Zelda leaned out the window and looked at what was once a 'pretty sight'. She huffed. "Oh... what's wrong with this place? I can't enjoy anything anymore." She rolled her finger around in the plant of flowers hanging by the window.

She felt the tap of a gentle finger on her shoulder. "How can you not enjoy anything when you're a princess?" She jerked around and saw Link behind her. She let out a gasp and placed a hand over her heart.

"You scared me... How… did you know I was here?" She was a little upset at the surprise, but was secretly excited to see him. He placed his hands on his sides and looked away and at the ground. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I have my ways..." He lied. Truthfully deep inside he knew he was just lucky he happened to find her so fast. Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"Really." She said still watching him. She could smell something that smelled like a burnt marsh mellow. Link didn't seem to notice.

"Seriously." He said turning back to her. She laughed and turned away from him. He watched her, dissatisfied he didn't get a bigger response out of her.

"Well, Link, I didn't think you'd come to visit me." She lied. She knew he'd come looking for her, she saw his interest in her before. He peered over her shoulder, but she didn't look at him.

"How'd you know my name?" Zelda smiled and let out a laugh when she didn't intend to. She covered her mouth, but took her hands away and put them under her chin only a second after.

"Well, I guess I have my ways too…" It bothered her that she didn't know his name before. She always wanted to know the names of anyone who was somewhat 'important' in the castle. If she would have known he existed before, she would have learned his name sooner. He continued trying to look over her shoulder, trying to get her to turn around. He was unsure if she was interested in him or not… but how couldn't she be? She had invited him to visit her earlier that day.

He felt as if someone behind him smacked him with a bat in the back of the head, but there was no one there.

_"...Your blocking me...!"_

The voice rang through his head like a marching band with too many marchers. He clutched his head in utter pain and agony. Zelda whipped around in an instant, only to find Link crying out in pain on his knees. She leaned over and held his shoulder.

"Agh!! No I'm not!!" He yipped it right in front of Zelda. Zelda looked at him strangely, but she was worried. He let go of his head and smiled at her, still wincing from the pain but trying to disguise it.

"Your not what...?" She asked in a quiet voice. He just shook his head.

"It's not anything to worry about. I mean… it was just… a minor headache." He smiled, trying to keep his voice calm. She touched his face, and he felt a sudden tingling envelope his stomach and forearms.

"I feel bad… I bet it's because of that battle. Those things made terrible noises. Are you sure your alright?" Link felt himself shake nervously.

"Uh… I um… Yeah, I mean of course I'm okay…" He didn't want to tell her Rais was trying to get a hold of him. He had finally gotten her to turn around and face him. She pulled her hand away, not thinking about touching him. She looked around. If she was caught doing this she would be in trouble.

She looked back at him, and noticed his stomach. His shirt was stuck to his body and she could see his muscles showing through it. He stood up again, feeling a heavy pull on his shoulders. He looked down at her on her knees, and she blushed, standing up and brushing her dress off while turning around again. She didn't want him to see her blush.

_"...WHAT ARE YOU DOING...!"_

His head started pounding and throbbing again. He was sure his mind would explode and bleed. He started wishing it would, at least he wouldn't have to deal with the pain anymore.

"Shut up!" He yelled it while bending over, holding his head in his hands. He pulled his hair and shut his eyes. The pain was unbearable. Zelda turned and stared at him, becoming even more worried about his unusual outbursts. She walked closer to him, lifted her hand but pulled it back, not sure if she should touch him or not.

"Link… what's wrong, really? Are you sure you're alright?" Her voice was soft. He fell to his knees in almost tears. The voice was so loud and stung so bad. She stood next to him, still worried. Even if she had hated him she would have felt bad.

He was panting hard now. "I'm sorry… but I… I have to go…" He stood up and stumbled as he walked, holding his aching skull. He walked down the hall groaning and mumbling to himself. He held his head and tried to keep his whining down. He didn't want Zelda to hear him, even though she had seen a lot. Zelda pulled her wrist close to her breastbone, watching him leave.

"Wait! Link… are you sure…" She stopped as she saw him turn the corner and leave. He didn't hear her, but even if he had she was sure he wouldn't have stopped. She sighed and massaged her head.

She decided if he could fight off those ugly bugs than he could handle a headache. But it wasn't the first thought on her mind. Why did she touch his face? She didn't want him to think that she was interested in him… she panicked a little. She hoped he hadn't seen her looking at his stomach. She blushed and turned back to the window. She felt stupid. Why did she look? Why did she touch him?

"So dumb…" She dropped her forehead on the cement of the window. She felt embarrassed. The flowers touched her hair, running lightly across it due to the small wind outside. She sighed, and pulled her head up and rested her hand on her chin, gazing outside.

-

Link stumbled into Rais chamber. Rais was hovering about seven feet above the water; a trick he mastered years ago. He glared down at Link.

"What were you doing?! And how did you figure out how to block me? How dare you even try!" The words didn't hit him as hard as the voices in his mind did. He sat on his hind, his elbows on his knees and his head buried in his palms. He looked up and glared at him.

"What are you talking about?! I wasn't blocking you! I don't even know how! And why were you screaming at me? I felt like I was dying!! I still do!" He pulled his head back down and whimpered. His skull was still hurting, and he continued trying to massage it to get rid of the pain.

Rais stared at him, trying to figure out if he was being truthful or lying. "But your mind was completely blocked... I had to send my strongest messages..." He thought to himself for a minute. Link was breathing hard and his breaths were the only thing that could be heard. Rais blinked and looked up from his thoughts. "Wait... what were you doing?" He asked.

"...W-...what?.." Link managed to say. He looked up and Rais repeated the question.

"Just tell me. It may explain the problem. Don't lie now." He demanded. Link's head was calming down now, and he let his hands slide away and drop into the water.

"I-... I was talking... to the princess..." He rested his head. He felt so sleepy, but thinking of Zelda helped the pain linger away. It was keeping his mind off of what had happened. Rais raised a brow, but then sat upright, like he figured something out.

"I see." He said. He let himself think awhile before replying, "You must like her then, don't you? A lot? Humph." He rolled his eyes in annoyance and dropped onto his feet into the water. The last thing that he needed to happen was for Link to get too mixed up in thoughts to focus on training. They were attacked only an hour ago, and here Link was getting mixed up in something that could get him killed.

"Wha... what?! Well… no… I…. Well, what's wrong with her then!" He yelled. Rais smiled at him. It wasn't Zelda who was the problem.

"Oh nothing. A good girl." But he shook his head. "Stay away from her. Your too wrapped up in thoughts of her that your mind is blocking itself to everything else. She's going to be a hell of a distraction to you. And now is really not the time, considering the events that have already taken place." He fiddled with his sword, watching small remains of the bug acid sliding off. Link shook his head, a way of him saying no. Rais only became more irritated.

"I mean it, Link! Don't screw this up!" It felt as if a boulder dropped in Rais's stomach. He didn't want to upset Link or keep him away from something he enjoyed, but his life and the life of Hyrule could fall over this one distraction. Yet, he knew Link all too well. Link never listened to what he said unless he was teaching him a fighting method or a battle move. If Link wanted to do something, he'd do it. If he wanted to get something, he'd get it himself.

He would have to be more alert this time, and try his best to keep Link prepared.

-

Oh good… I haven't scared you off yet? XD Just kidding. How's it going so far? Good?

I hope it's coming together good. This chapter is a much bigger improvement from last time. I like it a lot better, it's about twice as long. I'm trying to add more detail and emotions and make things stronger. Hope it's working, honestly. Oh well… I'll stop babbling so you can move on.


	6. Rais's Loss

Well, here we are. Chapter six. Yeah.. I don't really know what to say. I unfortunately couldn't entertain you with my stupidity this time. Aw, bummer. L

_**Chapter 6 - Rais's Loss**_

Link had a problem with mastering telepath. He told Rais 'I'll get brain damage', but there was a time when Rais had to learn how to use telepathy and he understood Link's pain.

Link was stubborn and even more at the moment, considering the new rules he had to follow. His free time was cut in half, training replacing it. He was having trouble in his current subject, his mental powers. He griped and griped Never did he have a problem with his physical strength, and now here he was, trying to master his mental strength. He had been training for five years and he didn't want to end up stuck on this subject. He didn't want to train for another five years, although Rais assured him that wouldn't happen. Not everyone had mental powers, but Rais was certain Link did.

Link only believed him when he said it ran in his family's blood. Rais actually wasn't sure of this, but he knew it would be the only way to really get Link to try.

"Teach me how to fly" Link mumbled out of nowhere, after trying for a few minutes to send Rais a mental message. "That's the only inner power I need."

"The only people who can fly aren't of this world." Rais brushed his big horse, Euru, as Link protested.

"But you fly." Rais found his response amusing. Link glared as he waited for him to explain.

"No," Rais shook his head. "That's hovering. And it's hard enough to even do that, let me tell you..." His eyes widened from the thought of it while he repacked the utensils they had used for lunch. Rais had chosen to train in the valley's with some distance between Hyrule. Besides, he needed to give the king and his men the time they needed to think about the purple aliens. Not to mention princesses.

"Why is it important I learn telepathy? I mean, how many people are gonna talk to me? Your really the only one who knows how." Rais stopped brushing Euru and put the brush down next to him. He walked over to Link and laid next to him in the grass. He sighed as he crossed his arms behind his head.

"I'm going to teach you how to talk to other people. And when you make a connection with them, you can hear their voice, maybe thoughts if they know how." He didn't pay attention to Link's excessive groaning.

"Telepathy is stupid." He held his head. Rais gave him a disappointed look, hoping he wasn't giving up now. He just needed Link to tap into the power and learn how to handle it correctly, but it was proving to be a task even to just teach Link.

"You just aren't handling the pain. You've gone your whole life listening to your own silent images and thoughts. Your brain isn't used to the foreign signals it receives. So yeah, it's going to hurt." He closed his eyes and relaxed. "A lot." He opened his eyes again and took in his environment.

He studied the area around him, provided himself with a mental picture, and forwarded it to Link. However, his hopes of Link receiving the image properly were ruined when Link jumped up and started to scream.

"Ag! Jeez...! What was that…?!" This time his eyes were hurting too. Everything looked blurry and they felt sore and heavy. His eyes were stinging like mad. "Rais...!" Rais scurried over to Link's side and sat by him. He held his head in torture, wishing he could tear his brain out. Rais watched his facial expressions and tried to calm him down.

"Link, you need to relax..." He told him placing a hand on his shoulder. Link shoved it away.

"How can I! This is insane!" He started hitting his head into his knees. "I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS..." Rais grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up. Link was startled by his aggressive action. He hadn't ever done this before.

"_Listen _to me. I know it hurts like hell and it makes you want to die, but you have to do it. Now why don't you grow up and take the pain. Try again." He let go and Link stared. The pain was gone, and he assumed it was because of Rais's touch. Usually when Link was hurt badly he could heal him with his hands.

Rais was about to speak again, but something interrupted both of them.

"..._**can you help me**_... _**I need help**_..." Rais and Link both jerked up and looked forward. There was a dark forest ahead of them where the whispers came from.

"Someone's hurt?" Link watched the woods. Rais quickly grabbed his shoulder, making sure he didn't attempt to get up and go see what was wrong. There was something odd about the voice, and Rais didn't have a good feeling about it.

"I don't know...but I don't think we should trust it..." Rais didn't let go of him. Those were the Dying Woods. Most people didn't go near them for all the stories about them. There were myths about people entering and never returning. There were stories about people seeing tall, black creatures walking out of them and wandering in the night. Rais had never thought they would be seeing anything while they were there, and this was unusual.

"Rais! If someone--" Link tried before Rais cut him off sharply.

"You don't know! Shut up!" Link attempted squirming away from his hand, but it wasn't working. Rais held him down, being more forceful than he usually was. Link was going to have to start listening to him.

"You shut up!" He spat back. Rais tightened his grip, he wanted to beat this kid silly. He wondered for a moment why he never had in the past. Link was always doing things he wasn't supposed to, and now he wondered if it was because he wasn't strict enough.

"Knock it off! Don't talk to me like that!" They started hearing more whispers from the woods. Link and Rais watched, waiting for it to come out first. Rais still held onto Link.

"..._**let me out**_..." It started to moan and began hissing 'out'. The hiss startled Rais and Link finally broke away from his hold, darting towards the trees. Rais yelled and ran after him, but Link continued to run as fast as he could. The trees grew bigger and bigger as they neared closer, and Link was coming dangerously close to the trees. He heard Rais calling out behind him.

When Link made it to the edge, he saw a blue orb hanging on the end of what looked like a leaf, but in the straight position of a stick. It was glowing bright; urging someone to touch it. Link grabbed it. He felt how warm and soft it was in his palm, so he began to pull on it. It came off easily, but a string was attached to it. Rais made it over to him and smacked it out of his hand. It dropped to the ground without making a sound and disappearing into the bushes.

"What are you doing! Link, you really--" A black smog began to exit from the woods. It came out from where the orb was, shooting out like it was coming from a pipe. Within seconds, a giant, dark blue creature emerged from within, screaming as loud as a flock of birds. Link and Rais jumped away avoiding the beasts' powerful fall. It was just like the purple ones, except twice as big and blue. It's eye was black with the center piece being bright red.

"Oh shit!" Link jumped back and almost tripped, but caught himself. Rais gave him a dirty look while the monster screeched again.

"Don't curse, dammit!" He scolded him.

"But you just--" The monster hissed and flung the slimy acid from it's fangs. Rais grabbed Link by the arm and pulled him as he began running. Link pulled his arm away from Rais and ran behind him, just as fast. The monster turned and watched them run.

"..._**s-stop running from us**_..." It tried to luring them back, but Rais and Link weren't up for falling for it. He whistled for Euru and Epona, who both galloped towards them the instant they heard the whistling from their grazing spot under a field tree. Once Epona reached Link, he grasped her reins and hopped on, but not as fast as Rais had.

The monster was right on their tail. Epona turned, and out of fear hopped back before darting into a mad dash into the opposite direction of the beast. It hissed as the scared horse trotted away at a speed it knew it could never catch up with.

"No...! Go back.." He tried to pulled her back but she wouldn't stop. Rais ran after Link too, but knew that they couldn't just run, or the bug would end up in one of the towns. He pulled on Euru's reins and stopped in his spot, while Epona continued darting to safety. Link attempted to stop Epona once more, but couldn't get her to stop until they reached the top of the hill.

Rais repeated three words of a spell three times. He held out both his hands as if he were holding a bow and arrow. As a blue smoke fell from his fingers, a blue bow and arrow molded beneath his hands. As the monster roared and ran after him, he released his arrow. It slid as easy into the monster's eye as a hand sliding in water would.

It screamed, and Rais was sure he had killed it. But it decided to give one more blow before it went out, and plunged through the air towards it's foe. Rais wasn't expecting it and it leaped above him in the air.

"Rais!" Link held out his hand. "Watch it...!" He warned. Rais hear his warning and drew his sword as fast as he could and sliced the monster; but the acid blood fell from it's body and his arm was in it's path. The thin glue-like substance drenched his arm from shoulder to wrist.

Rais screamed while his arm detached from his body. Euru jumped back in alarm at his master's sudden explosion of fear, and emotion that he had never sensed before in him. Rais fell to the ground, with only one arm left. He dropped his sword to his side and he fell onto his back in the grass, right next to the dead monster. Euru ran in circles, completely spooked.

Link jumped off Epona and ran as fast as he could towards his fallen friend. He had to run on his own legs now that Epona refused to go anywhere near the monster, even if it had been dead.

He finally reached Rais, who was laying back while staring up at the clear sky. Link dropped down next to him, and looked at his blue eyes. He noticed that Rais didn't make contact with him, only stared into nothing at the sky. Link touched him, but he didn't budge.

"Rais…?" He did not respond. Link felt himself trembling.

Rais's world faded into darkness as he went unconscious.

-

His world came back into picture slowly. He looked around when he got control over his breathing again. He saw a bright light above him, and felt a cool air next to him. He knew he was back in the castle and was probably being cared for by one of it's nurses.

"You okay?" He heard Link next to him. He looked over at him and saw him stare at him. He could see how troubled Link was through his eyes. Link reached out and touched his shoulder, and Rais watched him, sensing how concerned he was.

"I'm fine, Link. You don't need to worry." Link pulled his hand away and looked at the floor. Rais watched him without talking. He knew how guilty Link felt. He could feel it.

"Rais… I…" Link stopped and sighed. Rais lifted his hand and held it above his face, watching it in the light. He looked to the other side Link wasn't sitting on and felt the bed where his arm should have been. All he could feel were the cold sheets of the bed. It was all empty.

He closed his eyes and sighed as he recalled the horror scene he experienced. It was a depressing thing to think about. Losing his arm. He would have to become skilled at using one arm to fight with now.

He took a deep breath and laid silent. Link watched him, hoping he wasn't going through any serious pain. Now he felt stupid about complaining his head hurt. He looked away from Rais's body. It was hard to see him without a second arm.

His heart jumped when he felt Rais grab his arm. He didn't open his eyes.

"I'm going to be alright… you should go. I only need some rest." He let go and pulled his only arm back onto the bed. Rais felt incredibly tired. All he could think of now was taking a long nap and sinking into his dreams for awhile. Link felt relieved by his response. Rais hadn't ever lied to him before.

Link watched him as he fell back to sleep. He sat in silence for a moment, making sure Rais didn't stop breathing. Rais continued to breath normally, however, and didn't seem to be going into permanent sleep. He seemed okay, and Link decided it would be best to let him rest for awhile. He got out of his chair quietly, exited the room while shutting the door as quiet as he could.

-

Rais had almost been killed. The thought terrified Link. If Rais had died Link would never be able to talk or train with him ever again. He knew how hurt he would be if he lost Rais, he knew that now more than ever. He had always hated the rules ever since Rais made them, but he felt that he should respect Rais a little more. What would he have done if Rais had deceased while he was still mad at him?

He could handle no Zelda and cut free time, right?

"Link?" A female voice spoke from behind. Link felt his heart thump in his chest. He turned, seeing a familiar face. Zelda smiled at him.

"So much for rules…" He mumbled. Zelda laughed, watching him and noticing his depressed expression. She frowned and he felt even worse about making someone else upset.

"What's wrong?" He scratched the back of his head and looked away.

"Um... my friend had an accident..." He told her. She frowned. He smiled at her so she didn't feel upset or bad for him. He tried to change the subject. "Are you supposed to be here?" He teased.

She placed her hands behind her back. "No." It was her simple response. He lifted an eyebrow as he approached her, noticing how nervous she suddenly became. "But… uh… I didn't come here looking for you, if that's what you think…" She blushed as he was now only inches away from her.

"No? Then what were you doing?" He tried to meet her eyes but she only looked away. She turned her head and closed her eyes, so she didn't have to see him tilting his head trying to see her face.

"None of your business." She decided not to tell him since she couldn't think of an excuse. She opened her eyes and saw him grinning above her. _Oh, God, he thinks I like him! _She panicked and tried to seem as if she didn't have any interest in him.

"But shouldn't you be…" She cut him off, just to try and sound like she didn't have any feelings for him.

"There's a difference between things I would do, and things I should do." She laughed at his puzzled stare. "Like your any better..." He felt as if someone threw a rock at him. Not really because of Zelda, but because of how true the statement was. He thought of Rais and all the times he should have listened to him, but didn't.

Zelda felt nervous by the silence and his lack of eye contact. She was confused by her feelings. She didn't want him to know she liked him, but then again she didn't want to scare him off either. Now she was afraid he was getting annoyed with her. She watched his expressionless face, and her heart skipped a beat when he looked back at her. This time she could look away from him. He smiled at her and her face felt hot with her blushing. Now she hoped she wasn't doing it too bad, or it would be clearly obvious what she thought of him.

"Hm. Okay then." He watched her, waiting for a response. She shook herself out of her trance and stared at him. The way he looked at her made her feel like he could read her mind.

She held out her hand. "Well… would you like to come and talk with me for awhile? I'm rather bored and there's no one around to talk to…" It was a bland excuse, but an excuse that seemed to work.

"No one else?" She was sure he was teasing, but tried to make it seem like she thought he was serious.

"Well, do you want to come or not?" She felt him wrap his rough hand around hers, and it made her legs wobble. He pulled her hand down and stared at her face again.

"Sure." He waited for her to show him the way. She nodded after a pause, and turned to lead him.

"Um, yes. This way!" She held her head down so he couldn't see her blushing.

-

This is a big improvement from what it used to be! Hope you liked it, haha. XD

Well, keep on going! Can't stop now, can you? (evil grin) Hahaha!


	7. Canoe Ride

IWelcome to Chapter 7. This is a good chapter, but it's more of a fun chapter than anything else. It's very likable though.

As always, ENJOY!

_**Chapter 7 - Canoe Ride**_

She led him behind the castle to a small pool filled with small canoes. The pool led into a long river that circled back behind the castle, and Link was startled when he saw her untying a rope to one of the canoes. She looked up and him and told him to get on. He didn't want to, but ended up getting on it anyways.

"I hate the water." He told her leaning back on the other side of the small wooden canoe. She continued to row the boat with her paddles. He watched her, even though she felt uncomfortable with his staring. She wondered why she even invited him to do this. Surely he knew she had some kind of romantic feelings for him.

"Why so? I love it, it's so peaceful. Unlike," She gave paddling a rest a moment and brushed her dress. She was amazed she could actually speak in front of him and sound calm. "Some of the things you see in Hyrule." She crossed her legs and leaned back, trying to relax. Link thought about it. The sailors continued to come to his mind. It gave him shivers on the inside. He had been under the feet of a group of overweight thugs who had nothing better to do than gamble. So many things happened to him. Several beatings and unwanted kicks, even when he was doing nothing.

But he couldn't think of anyone else. He hardly went into town, it was always Rais that retrieved supplies and took care of him so he wouldn't have to. Thinking of Rais made it worse. He had never shown his appreciation to him, but then again never realized how much Rais did for him. He had done so much… and then he goes and lets him lose his arm.

Zelda fiddled with her wristband, trying to seem distracted. She didn't look up but could see Link in the corner of her eyes lifting his head to watch her again.

"So, um…" She grabbed both the paddles, rowing the boat again. She could feel Link watching her still, and tried to keep her mind off it. "Who's your friend? Is he alright?" She wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it or not, but she was getting too uncomfortable with him staring at her. _You don't even know him yet! How can you be so obsessed all of the sudden?_ The thought buzzed in her mind.

"His name's Rais. He seems to be okay..." He stretched his hands over the sides of the boat and let his fingers ride the top layer of water. Him taking his eyes off her made her feel better, but at the same time a little upset.

Zelda sat up straighter and her face enlightened. She knew Rais, and this was her chance to talk about something that could keep him off her mind for a moment. "Oh! I know him!" She stopped rowing for a second, and looked out at the water. "He taught me how to use different instruments. Like ocarinas and the special flutes he made." She thought about him more, and she had always thought he was slightly attractive. That would be a good chance for her to seem like she was interested in someone else. "He has a nice butt..." Now she felt stupid for saying it, but she got a reaction out of Link, at least.

He flung forward. His eyes widened as big as the golden plates he ate on that morning. "What? He could be your grandpa! What's so great about an old man's butt?!" He stood up and raised his hands in the air. "And he's my trainer for lord's sake!" Zelda blushed at his big reaction, and started to laugh uncontrollably, but tried to stay quiet. It came out as loud giggles and she blushed in her seat while noticing Link's head slowly look down at her. _Oh God! I'm making this so obvious!_

"Well," She coughed, trying to come out of the giddy mood. "Maybe more boys should use his methods. They all come out as thin and finely built men." She hadn't realized what she said until she heard it for herself. She pulled her hand over her mouth and looked up at Link, who seemed confused as he stared down at her.

"Oh... well..." They were quiet words, and Link couldn't finish before he blushed and looked away. She felt her heart start beating faster. _Did he blush? He did! _Now she couldn't help but smile. He hated the silence that was controlling the moment, so he let out his breath and attempted to change the subject. "How do you row?" It was a stupid question. Zelda grabbed the paddles and moved them, feeling like butterflies were tickling her stomach.

"You move." She joked, feeling more comfortable with him after seeing him blush. He had better control of his emotions than she did, and gave her a confident smile. She felt herself blushing yet _again. _He either liked teasing her or he was just being friendly. But she knew her blushing was obvious, and was almost certain it was to tease.

"Helpful." He joked.

"Well, how do you ride a horse?" She asked him in a confident tone. At least she managed that much. He watched her row.

"You get on." He grinned at her while she began rowing faster.

Link leaned back and ran his fingers through the water again. "Going a little fast?"

She felt herself rowing faster, and slowed her arms down. She watched him and he watched her. He didn't stop grinning at her.

"Why not give rowing a break?" He leaned back. "We're not in a hurry, are we?" She let go of the paddles. She was too infatuated to know what to say.

The gentle ride was interrupted by something in the water that hit the boat. The side Zelda was on was pushed high enough in the air to scare her into getting up and falling over to Link's side. She fell right on top of him, while the boat fell back into it's upright position. She opened her eyes and found herself nose to nose with him.

She was right on top of his rough body. She was sitting on top of his legs while her upper body was pressed against his chest.

"Don't worry," She was clinging to his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around her, and she felt his muscles against her soft skin. "I won't let the rock hurt you." He grinned at her, kidding her about her scare. He thought wrapping his arms around her would make her jump off him suddenly, but she didn't. Instead she stayed on top of him, shivering from the cold water that hit her.

"I didn't think I'd… hit anything…" She trembled on top of him, not knowing what she was saying. He watched her, confused by her reaction. He could tell she was attracted to him, but he didn't think she'd be comfortable in this position. He couldn't tell if the trembling was because she was cold or because she was nervous.

He pulled her closer and closer, and she didn't protest. He watched her eyes as he pressed her soft body against his rough one.

"Are you… okay?" He whispered to her. She smiled a little at him.

"Yes… I… I'm okay." She stared into his eyes too now. She ran her fingers along his face, feeling his rough and slender face. He watched her while she touched him, enjoying the affection. Using both of her hands she ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the strands run through her fingers.

"I… I can't believe I never knew you before… how long have you been here…" Link closed his eyes as she ran her soft hands along his face and through his hair. He breathed deeply.

"Mmm… five years…" Her mouth opened a little and she stared at him, shocked. He had been in the castle for five years, and she only met him days ago?

He opened his eyes and looked up at her, watching her because her hands were no longer massaging him. She stared down at him, still surprised at what she was doing.

"I… I'm surprised we haven't met until now." He watched her and smirked. She felt his hands start to roam along her backside. She let out a small gasp and blushed, enjoying it but wondering if she should stop him. He pressed his hands against her and pushed her down. Her hips rested against his lower stomach while the rest of her was pressed against his stomach and chest. Her heart began to beat a little faster.

She wasn't expecting it, but he pressed her head against his, locking her into a kiss. She had never been kissed before, or ever dated. This was the first time she had ever even touched another man, and being pressed against him like this was definitely going to get her into trouble. She didn't think about it though and tried to enjoy the kiss. She opened her mouth to breath a little, while once she did she felt Link slide his tongue inside her.

He could tell it was the first time she had ever been kissed, seeing as she was having trouble keeping up with him. He explored the inside of her mouth while letting his hands run along her back, feeling her sensitive body. He could feel her shiver every time his hands ran over a sensitive area.

When they opened their mouths to breath, Zelda forced herself off him. They were coming close to the castle again, and she didn't want it to go any farther than kissing and touching. She sat in the seat across the canoe from him, grabbed the paddles and paddled quietly, surprised by the all of the emotions that were coursing through her body. Link lifted himself and sat upright, and she found she was still embarrassed to see him watch her.

She looked down, blushing at what happened.

"If my father ever knew," She said, "I'd be shaved and locked away in a tall tower in the middle of nowhere." She joked and watched as Link leaned forward, staring at the wood.

"Sure he'd be so harsh?" His voice was quieter than usual. She wondered if he was upset she made him stop.

"Yes," She replied quietly back. "But really… he doesn't care that much about me." She looked down and rowed slowly, not thinking about Link for a moment. They didn't say anything else, but then Link's head gave a small throb.

_"I'm disappointed. I hoped you would have at least obeyed my rules after what happened."_

He felt like a rock and any happy emotion left in him vanished at hearing the familiar voice. He frowned and looked at the bottom of the canoe, watching it as it rocked gently on the river.

"I'm sorry." It was meant for both him and her.

-

Link followed Rais down the hallway, trying to get his attention and start a conversation. _Why did I go and do it, why? I should have known!_

"So how do you feel?" He asked cheerfully and friendly. Rais completely ignored him and continued walking. Link rolled his eyes and pulled his hands above his head. "What, now you're never gonna talk to me again?" He said. Rais kept walking. "Well you have to eventually. Your my trainer." Rais stopped laughing. Link stared at him, puzzled by his sudden response. Why was he laughing at him?

"Not any more. Your training is finished. See ya." He walked off quickly. Link felt his heart pound at Rais's words. He couldn't be serious, could he? Link ran after him, hurt that he would tell him such a thing. Rais didn't stop for him, and continued to walk like he wasn't even there.

"But I haven't mastered mental powers yet! It still hurts and I don't know how to send messages..!" He whined, trying to get him to ease up on him. He wouldn't abandon giving him lessons, would he? That just wasn't Rais. Rais wasn't the kind of guy to just go and abandon his pupils when they broke a rule or two.

"Oh well. I'm sure wandering around with girls is more important!" Link growled at him. He may have felt bad and guilty about Rais losing his arm, but he was starting to get irritated. Rais was constantly telling him what to do and how he should do things, when sometimes they had nothing to do with him in the first place. He was infuriated that Link kissed her, and Link wanted to know why it bothered him so much.

"No! I'm not a little kid anyways! So who cares if I'm talking to her and taking a stroll every now and then?" Rais stopped and shoved him with his only hand. Link fell back, shocked that he actually pushed him. He stared at him in disbelief. Why was he so angry with him? What had he done so wrong?

"I do, dammit!" Rais shoved him again and this time Link fell on his back. "Go find somewhere else to stay! I _don't _own you _anymore_! Do what you want! See if I care.." He turned around and walked off, his boots echoing through the halls. Link watched him walk off, abandoning him in the empty halls of the castle. He couldn't believe it. Rais had actually abandoned him.

"Fine." He took off in the other direction, his mind rushing with anger, disbelief, and misery. He didn't know what to think. "Who needs you anyways..." He told himself quietly, walking slowly away from Rais's chamber.

Rais entered his quiet chamber, listening to the waterfalls splashing down into the small pool. He walked through it noisily until he came upon his room. He walked in and over to the bed and laid down, closing his eyes to sleep.

He sighed. He was outraged, and Link had done one too many things. He told him to stay away from Zelda, but he didn't listen. He had even lost his arm and was unconscious in a bed, and Link still disobeyed him.

He rolled over, closing his eyes to sleep. If Link wouldn't listen to him, he might as well let him go and let him do whatever he feels like doing.

-

Ah, well that was a dramatic chapter. Poor Link… :o

Anyways, hope you still like the way things are going… keep on reading!


	8. Way to Orma

And so, the epic journey continues on! Hopefully you've been enjoying your adventure, huh?

Well? (dramatic pause)

Okay, I guess we'll start then…

_**Chapter 8 - Way to Orma**_

"HURRY! EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET OUT, NOW!" The guards were swinging their hands to the guests and motioning them away towards the dock. The sailors waved their hands for everyone to climb aboard, and looking like a million ants the people climbed onto each ship, trying their best to get on as fast as possible.

"Come on! Come on!" Jaw screamed while looking ahead at Hyrule castle. It was far away, but he could see hundreds of black dots crawling up the tall towers. "Oww... shit..." He grabbed one of the running townsfolk and threw them across his deck. "HURRY UP YOU ASSHOLES! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON!" Some of them screamed but continued running, while some changed their minds and went to a different ship. There were ten to chose from, all of them crowded with the town folk.

The castle was flooded in huge purple beasts. The dark blue ones led them towards the tops, showing them entrances into the castle. They were smarter and tried luring people into their deaths with their whispers. Anyone who had a horse was taking off, while Link sliced and avoided some of the smelly bugs. He was stalling. He didn't want to leave until he knew his friends were safely out of the castle.

He turned to his left and saw Rais on Euru. Rais still handled Euru like a pro, even with one arm. Rais looked at him, but the moment they locked eyes Rais looked away and focused on the road. Link watched him ride off and out of view, frowning. He turned back to the castle and looked for Zelda, hoping that she wasn't trapped inside somewhere.

She was riding on a white horse with an older woman handling it. She wasn't looking around, probably afraid of the monsters. Link urged Epona towards the exit while keeping an eye on them. The giant bugs didn't seem to notice the last of the Hylians leaving the castle, and continued trying to devour and get inside it.

A smaller ignorant purple one caught sight of them. It scurried forward like a spider towards the white horse. It was close enough and about to pounce, before Epona crushed her hooves into it's front left leg. It's scream was silenced by an easy slice from Link's sword. The girl handling the white horse didn't waste anytime, she continued on and was soon out of sight of the ugly insects. Link was last to escape them; luckily Epona was fast enough to keep ahead of them. Now that they knew there was no one left in the castle, they began heading towards the town.

He reached the dock and attempted to board the only ship letting anyone on. The woman and Zelda had just boarded, but once they got on deck Jaw kicked the board allowing entrance. The boat began to sail off after the other eight ships.

"Sorry, young fella! All full! Ha ha ha!" His laugh was deep and scratchy. Epona reared and Link growled up at Jaw, who grinned down at him. "Hope that mule's a good swimmer!"

"You stupid fuck!" He barked. Zelda pushed her way to the railing and leaned over. She held her hand out to him.

"Link!" She called. Jaw swooped her off the railing and crushed her up to his sweaty chest. He lifted her head up to his cheek and laughed.

"Don't worry princess, Jaw'll take good care ya!!" Epona whined and Link continued to control her. The woman quickly broke the crap Jaw began to pull. She yanked Zelda behind her and shoved his filthy body.

"Unless your wish is to die I suggest you keep your fat hands to your self!" She held up a silvery blade of her knife. It gleamed off the sun.

It wasn't helping Link out. He was stuck without a ship to board. The tenth ship dropped it's board and three men waved. "Come on! Your wasting time there, young in!" Link smacked Epona and she raced towards it. They boarded and kicked the board down as fast as they could.

There was hardly enough room, but Link thanked them for making some. They took Epona downstairs since she was taking up too much space the people needed to fit. Link pushed his way through them and to the front of the boat. They were right behind Jaw's. He watched it sail peacefully ahead, but it was too far to even talk while yelling. He couldn't even hear the roaring of the townsfolk on it, but it had to do with the loudness of his own ship.

He hated the idea of Zelda being on Jaw's ship. Sure, her guardian looked like she could handle it, but Jaw was tricky and sneaky. He'd find a way to separate the two, and inside it was killing Link to know that.

-

Zelda fiddled with the pearl necklace she was wearing. She saw the guys save Link from death, so she was relieved at that. She was nervous at what was going to happen when they reached their next destination. Where were they going, anyways?

"Do you know where this ship takes us?" She asked one of the women next to her. She was old and harmless, which made Zelda comfortable enough to ask her.

"Ah, the sweet small town of Orma." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "The perfect home. But I think it will be a little small for all these people." She told her. Zelda blinked in confusion, thinking about all of the shipments they get from Orma.

"We get shipments from a village? How do they provide all our food?" She was still holding on to her necklace. The woman gave a cheerful laugh, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"Oh, dear, they don't provide the _whole _kingdom. Just the castle." Zelda listened and smiled at her. "The crops Orma grows are among the richest in the world." She pulled her old hand away from Zelda's shoulder and looked ahead towards the sea. "But we're heading their because it's closest. And it has many connections to other towns and cities, so it seems realistic for us to hide their awhile. The townsfolk can leave if they don't feel comfortable." Zelda nodded and smiled. It must have the second most connections, then. Hyrule certainly was number one, but they couldn't send them all to different places. It would be unorganized and insane.

She talked a little while longer with the woman. She mentioned she had a husband and how they met and all. Her name was Miriam and she loved to talk with anyone willing to listen to her. Zelda did, but got a little bored after awhile. She found away to escape the woman's talking by adding a new person in the conversation. When Miriam became distracted she slipped away from the talking and off on her own around the ship.

There were so many people aboard, it was crazy. She was constantly shoved and no one ever moved out of the way, so she continued to squeeze through the crowd. She thought maybe there wouldn't be any madness downstairs, so she entered the dark stalls where the animals were kept. There was only a few horses, including the white one she had rode.

She sat down next to her horse's stall and relaxed. It was so quiet down here, small, but quiet. People would rather clamber together than smell horse and pig manure. She was happy about that, for now she could have a little privacy and room to breathe.

"Heh! Enjoying the animals, eh?" Jaw threw a bucket of water into the horse's pen. Zelda jumped and ran to the other side of the pens. She held her back against the wall.

"No! You stay away from me!" She warned. Jaw shook his head.

"Hey! Calm down ter, girl." He walked over to her but made sure he was blocking her escape routes around him. "No trouble, s'long as we don't have no fighten." He placed his giant hands on both sides of her head. "What'ya say?" He ran a fat finger across her chin. She jerked away from him. He growled at her. "Dammit, knock it off!" She shoved him, not inflicting much, and kneed him hard in his stomach with all she could muster out of her tiny body. He whined like a baby and she crawled and got around him.

He didn't give up so easy though. He sucked up the pain and yanked Zelda back up by her hair. She screamed and he threw her against the wall again. He balled his fist and slammed it against her left eye. But when she tried to yell for help he hit her again under the chin. Her teeth pierced into her upper gum. She held her hands over her mouth and let out quiet cries, and fell down on her knees to the floor. Jaw did nothing but laugh.

"See? Ya fight ya get hurt." He told her. She shook her head and he watched. "No? No what?" He pulled her hands away from her face, but let go when a sharp pain began around his right thigh. The pain grew sharper as it seemed to deepen into his body. He jerked and turned around, only to feel a silver sword slice his leg off his body. "AHHH! THE HELL!" He grasped the bleeding area and fell to the ground. "GAHH! WHA--GAAHH!" He had never felt pain like this before. It was like shocks running rapidly around the hurt area, making it feel like it was shaking violently. "WHO!" He managed to scream. He looked to his left at Zelda, only to see her hold her hands over her mouth while she stared in horror at his leg laying in front of her.

"Ah, maybe now you'll keep your dirty hands away from girls..." Zelda cried and ran over to Rais, who stood still in the light coming down from the top of the stairs. His eyes glittered while his hair gave off an array of colors. Zelda grabbed his arm, dropping to the floor in fear. She pulled Rais down with her, crying in pain out of what Jaw did to her. Her ran his fingers over her bruised chin, taking the pain away but not removing the scar. "It's okay. He won't hurt you, I promise." He ran his finger over her eye, erasing any pain she felt their either. She still had her scars, but was no longer hurting.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! I OWN ME DAMN SHIP!" He was grasping his bleeding body. Rais lifted himself from the ground while Zelda hung onto his arm. He brought them both up, and Zelda stood a few feet smaller than him.

"Doesn't mean you own the people here." He was still holding his sword while Zelda clung to him for protection. He was calm and stood upright. He knew he didn't need any arm to kill the man.

"I WANT YOU OFF! GET OFF!" Jaw squealed at his own pain. Rais smiled. He had spent over half his life training, and over that time he had seen people much scarier than Jaw.

"Really. Try and make me leave." It made him smirk to see him scream louder. Zelda pushed on his chest. She buried her face in his shoulder and tried to pull him towards the door.

"I want to leave!! Take me out of here!" She grabbed his arm and started pulling him away to the door. A thug from upstairs came down and saw Jaw, and hurried over to help him. "See! He'll help him! Let's go!" Rais took a last look and followed Zelda back onto the main floor of the ship.

Zelda pulled him to the top of the ship with all the people, and they ran over to an empty spot on the side of the ship, big enough for them to have some elbow room. She squeezed the railing, still a little afraid of what had happened.

"I didn't know you could… heal people." She wrapped her hands around the cold bar. Rais looked at her from the side. He leaned his one arm on the bar and looked over to the stormy sea.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." She looked at him, but turned back again. The water was murky and gray, matching the sky. The wind blew against them. She thought about Link on the other ship, and wondered if he was okay. She laughed at herself and shook her head. _Of course_ he was okay. He fought off so many of those insects, it would be a wonder what would stop him on a ship.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" She jerked over and looked at him as he stared emotionlessly at the water.

"What? Who?" He smiled and looked at her, an expression saying _you know who. _She blushed and looked away, holding the pearl necklace. "Yes… maybe a little."

Rais laughed. It was the first time he had smiled in awhile since he lost his arm. Zelda looked at him. _How did he know about Link? _Then she remembered when Link told her he was his friend. That must have been how.

"No. I know because I can read your mind." He turned to her and she jumped. She blinked and stared at him. His light blue eyes stared back at her and she began to feel calmer. There was something different about this man.

He smiled and walked by, giving her a quick wink before he left.

-

Yeah, this one was kind of short. It was still good though… even though Jaw is kind of scary.

Ha ha… anyways, hope your liking it. What? Only five chapters left!!!!!!!!111111????////////

Aw…

Enjoy!


	9. Dream

Another chap to add to my beautiful collection. Hah, lol.

The above sentence was so funny I decided not to edit it. HA HA. (I'm making fun of myself??)

_**Chapter 9 - Dream**_

Zelda let the other folk off first, since they were fighting like mad to get off. She looked to her left and saw Jaw. He was sitting in an old creaky chair smoking a fat brown cigar and glared at her. She smirked and he jumped from his chair, but two of his men grabbed him and pulled him back. They whispered to him and shook their thick heads. A hand placed around Zelda's arm and gave her a light push. She turned to see Rais, who smiled at her and motioned for her to go first. He looked back at Jaw as Zelda hopped off the ship and down onto the dock.

She left Rais only because she wanted to be as far away from the ship as possible. She made it out of the dock, but ran too fast through the crowd. She ran into someone on the way through, crushing her face against their chest and making the bruises on her face hurt.

She fell back, holding her eye. "Ow! I'm sorry…" She looked up at the person and was surprised to see Link standing above her with his hands on his hips. She looked up at his light colored eyes and hair, noticing that his face seemed flushed. He looked exhausted and sad, but she knew he had to have seen her bruises by now.

"What happened?" He held his hand out to her, and she took it and was lifted to her feet. He didn't pull her in any farther towards them, for this wasn't a good time seeing all the people around them. She let go of his hand and turned away, hiding her reddening face.

"Well… see the captain… well, it doesn't matter, Rais-" She turned to look at Rais who she left on the boat. He was gone now and she looked around, but didn't see him anywhere. She turned to Link, who's expression hadn't changed at all. He watched her as she found the courage to look him in the face. She wondered what his thoughts were on all of her blushing. He had to have noticed her excessive embarrassment.

"Rais?" He seemed a little surprised to her, but he was good at hiding his feelings. He watched her awaiting the answer. She paused for a moment blanking out.

"Um…" She shook her head and tried to stay focused. "Um… yes! Rais saved me. Even though it was a little extreme… he cut his leg off." She couldn't concentrate and knew she was just saying whatever was on her mind to break the awkward silence. She saw Link's eyebrows raise once he heard about the leg.

"Wow…" She could tell he found it amusing but he didn't tell her that. She thought of Rais again and wondered how much Link knew about him. She remembered what Rais and said to her, and although it didn't bother her _too _much she still wanted to know the truth or not. Or maybe it did bother her a little bit.

"So um… about Rais, can he really read minds." Link looked at her again, and her face reddened. She saw him grin; he must of liked all of the blushing. "Um… I mean, he told me he could and he actually told me what I was thinking about." He watched her and she had to look away again.

"Yeah… he can. He's been teaching me how to do it. Or, he was anyways." Link looked at the ground, feeling his body get heavier. Thinking of it only made him feel like he was dragging weights at his feet.

Zelda jumped and turned completely around, holding her hand over her mouth. _Oh my god! He can READ my mind! He knows!_

Link watched her in curiosity. Her abrupt response had confused him, until it hit him. He grinned while he stared at her back. She actually thought he could read her mind.

She felt him wrap his hands around her shoulders and pull her a little too close to himself. She blinked as she felt his chest press against her back. She could remember laying on top of his rough and strong body, kissing him. She swallowed, hoping that no one from the castle could see them right now.

"Yes, princess, I know all of your secrets and have been reading your mind all the time." He paused. "I also know how attracted you are to me…" He said it quietly, wondering what her reaction would be. Zelda's heart pounded for only a few seconds before she turned around to face him. The way he had been talking he sounded like he was joking. She had made it pretty obvious on the canoe that she liked him, so he didn't need to mind read for that.

He took his hands off her shoulders and put them on his hips. "No…" He smiled as she watched him. "I can't read minds yet. Rais disowned me and refuses to teach me now." Zelda stared in disbelief.

"He… disowned you? But why?" Link watched her and took a breath. It was because of her, but he didn't want it to sound like her fault. It was his fault. He's the one who went with her.

"Because I… I didn't listen to him. I never listen to him." He looked at the ground and this time Zelda could see the sadness in his eyes. She looked away. How was she supposed to respond? She didn't know Rais well enough; he obviously knew more about him than she did. "He can't really read your mind, you know." She looked at him, seeing him smile again.

"No? But you said he could." She smiled back this time without realizing it. She didn't want him to feel sad.

"He's really could at reading you by looking at your face and the way you act." Zelda watched him, feeling reassured. Now she knew why Link hid his facial expressions and watched her so much. He was mimicking what Rais had done to him for years. It was an unspoken training method Rais had taught him without him realizing. "And actually… I think he can sense emotions too… you know, I don't really know what he is, exactly. I wonder if he's _really _human. Who has hair and eyes like that?"

Zelda laughed. She had thought the same thing before too, but in the end just came to the conclusion he was incredibly smart. But then there was also the fact that he could heal people and he lived in a very weird chamber. Was Euru a real horse?

"Zelda!" They both reacted immediately by taking a step back from each other. Zelda's guardian came after her and grabbed her arm. She looked a Link and sent him a glare, to which Link ignored. He watched her drag Zelda away. Zelda turned her head to look at Link. He gave her a small wave, and she gave him a sad smile. As if to apologize.

Link looked around the market. He knew Rais was still angry and didn't want to talk to him. But a small part of him wished he could turn around and see his former guardian walking over to him and forgiving him. He continued to look, but it never happened. Rais wasn't anywhere in the market. He had wandered off somewhere else, Link believing it was because he didn't want to see him.

-

He wandered around the market alone with Epona, looking for someone he might recognize. He wanted to ask if his aunt still lived on the farm. If she did, this would be the perfect time to go and visit her. She hadn't talked to him in years and he had only ended up writing a few letters to her. Rais's training had always kept his mind busy. It got to the point where Link began forgetting completely.

He walked up to a small food market that stayed open for a little while longer. A familiar looking man leaned back in his chair, relaxing in the night. Only a few lights were on and he had no customers, so like every other night he had he laid back and rested.

Link walked up to him, watching him. The man noticed someone standing and sat up, looking down at the tall boy. The boy's face looked familiar, but the man could never remember seeing him before. He waved and motioned to his selection of food.

"Hello, there. Take a look, if you may." He held his hands out to the food, watching Link look around. Link turned back to him and shook his head no. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Raggy. Long time no see." Raggy squinted and looked harder at the boy's face. He had to have known this boy from somewhere. His face and eyes looked very familiar, but he could never remember them being so tall and… healthy. He studied him for a little longer before finally recognizing him.

"Ah… Link?" Raggy jumped up out of his seat, landing next to Link and startling Epona. Link grinned at him as he slapped his hand behind his back. "Wow, boy… you really have grown, eh?" Link placed his hands on his hips and smiled.

"Of course. It's been five years Raggy… but I came here to ask you something." Raggy took his hand away and sat back in his chair, listening to Link. Link kicked a rock that was by his shoe before looking back at Raggy. "You know… Aunt Tia… I was wondering if she still lived on the farm."

Raggy sat still while frowning momentarily. Link felt his breathing get a little harder. His frown was definitely not a good sign. Epona rested her muzzle on Link's shoulder, telling him that she was sleepy.

"Well, you see Link…" He looked like he was trying to figure out how to put what he wanted to say in words, but shrugged and continued on. "She past away a few years ago…" He watched Link stare at the ground. He heaved a sigh.

"Thanks Raggy… it was good talking to you." Link walked away and Raggy didn't stop him. He watched him vanish into the dark night, and decided to close up his shop for the night. He knew he wouldn't be getting any customers that night, anyways.

Link led Epona behind the town to where an old tree sat. He tied her reins around the old trunk and she laid down, while he leaned against her side. He laid back, thinking about his old aunt. She had always been there for him the first eleven years of his life… and he couldn't even write her a few measly letters once in awhile.

He felt as if he had been screwing up a lot of things. First he disobeys Rais for the final time and gets abandoned and then he doesn't he even find the time to write to his aunt, who now he could never make it up to. She was gone. There was nothing left now; he wouldn't ever see her again.

He laid his head against Epona, who wrapped her neck around him and closed her eyes. He watched the stars above him glitter for awhile before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

_-_

_He could tell he was in a large area, but it was hard to move through considering all the crowdedness. But it wasn't crowded with people, something else. Something alive, but unable to move or talk._

_Centered in the middle of it all was a giant tree form that thousands of fairies created with their own bodies. The fairies positioned themselves in correct filing to form it's shape, leaving some parts open. Link was walking towards it, because... it told him to? Or did the fairies tell him to? He couldn't tell, all he knew was it could help him._

From what?, _he asked himself. The wind blew hard; it sounded like the whispering from the 'tree'. The fairies pushed out of his way when he came to the front of the tree. It wanted him to enter._

_But something stopped him, he felt a strong blow knock him back. Something was blocking him. Something wasn't letting him inside, regardless of how badly he felt the need to get inside of it. He asked no one why they wouldn't let him in, yelling through the dark place._

_It told him it wanted him to die. It would follow him until he died. It wanted Hyrule to die. Orma to die. The world to die._

_He told it no. He didn't want anyone to die. He had lost enough and he wouldn't let this thing, whatever it was, kill anyone._

_It hissed at him and said it wasn't up to him._

_He said it was afraid. He threatened it and it was scared of him the day he was born. It was afraid of him. He knew it was. He felt like he knew it's mind so well, knew every thought it had. It was terrified at him. It wanted him dead; he threatened it's very existence. _

_It only growled and whined at him. _

…_YOU MUST DIE…_

_His head started to hurt. The thought was echoing all around him._

…_YOU WILL DIE…_

…_I WILL KILL YOU…_

_It hurt his head so bad. He leaned over and held it, wondering what the thing wanted._

_But he knew what it wanted. It wanted to hurt him and it wanted to finish it's deed._

_Link said it couldn't finish the deed. _

_But it believed it could. It knew that the only thing stopping it was him. He was the only one in it's way. It believed it could complete the task, and release itself so it could return home._

_So they could return home._

_-_

Link lunged forward holding his aching head. He was sweating and his skin was red and felt hard. He massaged his arms and breathed in and out deeply. Epona woke and shook the dirt off her mane. He pet her and continued to breath. She rested her head in his lap.

"But I knew _everything! _All of it and it's all gone now!" He yanked his hair. "What was it!" He asked himself. Epona lifted her ears. He let his hands drop to the dirt. He pet Epona and laid back down. "It isn't fair..." He wrapped his arm around his eyes. "Rais would know what to do..." He mumbled.

_Rais would know exactly what to do…_ But he wasn't Rais. He could never be anything close to what Rais was. He was a failure and he didn't deserve to have Rais as a trainer. He knew he didn't. That's why Rais abandoned him. He didn't deserve it… he never did.

-

Townsfolk were once again rushing on the boats. A bug was spotted a town away from Orma. Link opened his eyes and turned his head towards the dock. The sun could have only come up a few hours ago, and already people were rushing like mad back on to the ships. A few guards and Zelda's guardian were frantically running around the small village. Zelda wasn't with them.

"Zelda!" Her guardian cupped her hand around her mouth and yelled it through the town. She had disappeared, right when they found out about the giant insect.

"Where's she?!" A few guards ran to her, breathing hard. They had been running around Orma searching like mad dogs.

"We have to find her!" The guardian shoved them out of the way, continuing the search. The two guards followed her, yelling Zelda's name.

"Zelda…" He told himself. He had a disturbing dream and now Zelda was missing. The dream couldn't have been real, could it.

He remembered when he first got his room at Rais's chamber. The book that laid on the table…

He had fairies in his dream, dancing in the shape of a giant tree. The book had talked about fairies… fairies lived in the forest.

He looked to his left, towards Orma Forest. His aunt had never let him go near the woods, it had been her number one rule when they would go into town. Was he going to disobey the rules once again?

The trees stood tall and high towards the sky. He felt an urge to go inside. If Zelda wasn't in town, this was the only place where she could be.

He jumped on Epona and rode along the edge of the forest, searching for it's entrance. He only rode for a few minutes before coming across a white sign.

The sign sat next to the dirt path, chipped and broken from sitting there for so long.

'Welcome' Read across it.

-

I really love my little Silent Hill feeling ending right there. XD

Getting interesting, isn't it?


	10. Orma Forest

Only three more chapters after this… this story really only gets better and better and _BETTER!_

I think so. Hope you've been liking it.

Here's the next chapter…

_**Chapter 10 - Orma Forest**_

Link had tied Epona to a naked tree outside the woods. She couldn't run in the crowded area, and it was pointless riding her, for in the end it would only slow him down. Two soldiers had been ordered to go into the woods and look for Zelda, so he decided to walk with them. The soldiers had started without him and he only had to run a short ways to catch up.

The forest was what you would expect any forest to be, except it seemed overgrown with trees. Trees might have been what you expected, but this forest was growing too many. Link and the soldiers both noticed this after having to squeeze through trees and duck for branches. Their were points on the trip where Link was sucking up his stomach and squeezing between two trunks. The soldiers weren't doing any better, but they refused to give up their weapons. The pointed handle of one pushed a tree branch away and allowed the soldier to pass through. Link followed but hadn't realized he had shoved the branch out of his face. The man pulled away his pointed stick and the branch flung across Link's eyes and nose. He yiped and grabbed the flimsy branch. The soldier turned around while Link glared with his one open eye.

"Ow! Watch it!" He yelled while rubbing his face. The soldier rolled his eyes and continued walking.

"Jeez, sorry thought you could handle yourself..." He mumbled. Link wiped his face with the rough clothing on his arm and continued to follow.

He finally pulled his hands away and squeezed through two tree trunks. "Thought you'd be thinking of me..." The soldier ignored him and they continued their search. They didn't have much luck until they reached a twig poking from the mud. A silky purple piece of cloth hung around it's sprouting tiny branches. Link let out his breath while the shorter man picked it up.

"Well," He folded it and shoved it in his pocket, "We know she's here then..." The 'then' was silent and almost unheard as he looked around at the forest. Everything was getting more open and _bigger_. The place was unbelievable. He hadn't realized the forest was so massive. Link walked past him.

"Quit wasting time and let's go!" The other soldier tagged right behind Link while the man continued observing his surroundings. He held the cloth in his hand and watched Link and his friend already walking ahead. He hurried after them once he realized they were leaving him.

The forest grew more spacious the further they advanced. They appreciated the elbow room, but the shorter man started getting the shivers. He cradled himself. "Oh...shit Murray... I h-hate t-this p-p-place..." Murray ignored him. Him and Link weren't tired, cold, or scared at all. It was just a bunch of trees and spiders. The small man continued to complain, while Murray grew tired of him, turned and shoved a hand into his chest.

"Shut up! What's so scary about a bunch of tree crawlers and snakes?" The air was heavier here, both of them noticing it when they let out there breath. The tall man watched Murray as he shook on the ground. He didn't understand what was so scary about the forest. It was only a forest, right? Link continued to walk, ignoring both of them.

"Don't you understand why this forest was forbidden?" He looked around and moaned while trembling. "The spirits! They hate the living! They keep this place off from the rest of the world and do their business here..." He shook and the faint chattering of his teeth could be heard. Murray laughed.

"Their just rumors! Chill...!" He said slapping his shoulder. Link was ahead a ways now. He never had any interest in the soldiers at Hyrule. A quiet wind began to brew about. The fog was thick enough in this area to be able to see the silvery wind blowing.

_"...__**can't you help me**__..." _Link stopped and stood frozen. He lowered his head while pretending to look at the dirt, and let his eyes wander back and forth.

_"It would be wise not to listen to her."_

Link jerked up. This voice was much stronger and more masculine than the last. It was deep, but not threatening at all. It was harmless and felt ancient.

A ball of cluttered mud slid off a rock up ahead, and a girl hopped off. She ran over to Link, a piece of purple cloth missing her gown. "Link!" Zelda screamed and ran into his arms. He didn't speak until she quieted her voice. He looked down onto her perfect cream colored and unscarred face. She smiled at him and grabbed his hands.

"You must follow me... please it's not safe here..." She yanked on his arm, but he hesitated. He looked back, but the guards had wandered off somewhere else. He looked at her and saw her worried expression.

"You see... they've got them..." She was quiet as she spoke and Link gave her a curious stare. She smiled faintly at him and he watched her, expressionless. What was she thinking?

"They did?" He kicked a large rock that was by his feet and turned to her. "Well then let's go to the exit--"

"No!" Zelda cut him off. He stared at her. "I mean... we can't... they'll catch us...!" She started to pull on him again. He didn't move from where he was standing and narrowed his eyes.

"Who's they?" He asked. She started to whine. She cuddled close to him and looked up at him with her eyes becoming teary.

"Please Link... help me..." She tried to kiss him, but he pushed her away.

"Okay," He stared down at her, "Then take me where you want to go." He told her. She smiled and her pupils contracted and her eyes seemed bluer than ever.

"Thank you." She grabbed his wrist with her gentle hand. She gave a light tug and he followed her.

They came to a rocky cavern. Zelda held her hands out to the small cave. The whole was deep enough for a bear to crawl through. It was pitch black inside, but the darkness was more blank than it was dark. He couldn't hear anything coming out of it. "It's in there..." Link looked at her smiling face. Her face was flushed and looked eager for him to go in.

"So... what are they..." He asked while looking down into the bottomless hole. He couldn't feel anything coming out of it. No sound, no air, no life. Zelda looked down at her feet where large roots snaked around close to her feet. She stomped at them and missed while Link continued looking down the empty hole.

_"You cannot complete your deed..."_

It attempted to wrap around her ankle, but she quickly flung her shoe down and cut the root in half. It ducked away and shriveled into the shadows of the woods. "You'd be wiser to stay out of it..." She whispered to the wind while staring where the roots had hid. Link had heard her mumbling and turned around, facing her again.

"Everything okay?" She placed her hands behind her back and grinned widely.

"Perfect." She tried to give her stupidest happy girl smile. Link smiled back, but he erased it when he turned back to the cavern.

"Right..." He grumbled. He took one last quick look before turning and walking back over to her. "Well, nothing in there. Let's go." He told her while grabbing her by the elbow. She swung out of his grasp and away from his reach.

"What? You didn't even look in there!" She stomped her foot on the ground. Link watched her and shrugged his shoulders.

"Why won't you just leave, then? We'll be safe out of the woods..." Zelda glared at him and he saw her pupils thinning out further.

"Because we can't!" She yelled.

"Well why not!" She was getting more furious with each word. She let out her breath and backed up against a tree. A rock was embedded in the bark, and she grasped it in her hand.

"Ah! Link you found her!" Murray and the man were running happily up to Zelda. "Come on Zelda!" They called. Link interrupted the reunion by walking in front of them.

"NO!" He reached and managed to grab the man who'd been tagging along, but not Murray. "That's not her! She _isn't _Zelda!" The man he'd grab widened his eyes. He glanced at Murray and hid behind Link.

"Taren!" Murray groaned. Taren shook his head and clung to Link's arms. Link stared surprised at him as he started to crying loudly.

"Murray!" His voice didn't shake this time. "Spirits!"

Murray rolled his eyes and began walking towards Zelda. Taren and Link yelled. He stopped and started yelling back. "Listen to me!" He howled. "There isn't no such thing as spirits! They don't exist!" He ignored further cries from them and turned only to notice that Zelda's eye color changed. So did her voice.

"I WILL COMPLETE IT!" She tossed the rock past him while Murray's eyes followed it. Link threw Taren out of his hands and hopped out of the way as the rock hit a tree. They returned glances to Zelda, who now in her place was a black as midnight beast. It differed from the rest; It had two eyes that showed their reflections like mirrors. Other than that, they were normal human eyes. Murray yelped and ran back to Link.

"How'd you know?" They both stammered while watching the younger boy. Link kept his eyes on the giant spider like insect.

"For one, she didn't act like Zelda. And another," He narrowed his eyes at the beast. "It's little copy cat image wasn't so perfect. She had no bruise around her eye." Murray and Taren pulled out their weapons while Link slid out his old sword. The monster screamed at them, letting the entire forest hear it's screeching cries.

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME IN MY OWN HOME!" It's voice was like thousands of echoes. It's blinks were quick and it's involuntary movements were fast. This bug wasn't like all of the others. It was bigger and faster, stronger and smarter.

"Ew... it talks..." Taren and Murray blinked at it, still shocked. Link watched it, trying to keep any fear hidden inside of him.

_"I will not let you continue this. You cannot complete the deed."_

The monster wailed and flung it's long hairy leg behind it, knocking down two of the large trees. It screamed and spit red acid to it's sides, burning down the twigs and roots.

"ENOUGH!"

-

Poor trees. And twigs and roots.

Hope it was interesting and hope you like it.


	11. The Queen

These last three chapters I had to do a lot of changing and editing. I replaced and pushed things to different places so that everything made more sense…

Everything that was changed was changed for the better! I hope anyways I made this story so much better than it used to be. xx

_**Chapter 11 - The Queen**_

She continued her wailing and crying, and continued to spit it's red acid on the plants and trees. Murray leaned over to Link and whispered in his ear.

"What's it doing..?" Link watched it, making sure that it didn't attack them when they were off guard. He grabbed his wrist, feeling it shaking beside him.

"I... I don't know..." He murmured, but his fear wasn't as noticeable as Taren's who could be heard shaking in his armor. Murray slung his stick down and smacked the back of his ankle.

"Why don't you just shit your pants already!" He said it in a harsh whisper. Taren swallowed hard and wiped the sweat from his forehead. After a few more minutes, the beast calmed and turned back to the three. Link felt his heart pound as he looked back into it's eyes, seeing himself in both of the blue globes.

It snorted loudly letting balls of spit and snot fling onto the ground. Murray raised a lip in disgust while Taren whimpered. The monster opened it's lips revealing eleven pearl white fangs surrounding the inside. Link still hadn't moved from his spot. He was only shaking slightly, enough for only Murray and Taren to see if they were paying attention to him. The monster's round eyes focused primarily on Link. It paid no attention to the frightened humans next to him.

It screamed trying to get him to move from his spot, but he swallowed hard while holding his ground and rolled the sword handle in his hand. It whispered to him and he could see the voice approaching him in the thick air.

"...You! I want you dead!" It forced a black fuzzy leg forward. Link held his sword towards it, watching as it crawled towards him. It's legs moved faster than his eye could see; the creature was too powerful. It couldn't be mortal.

"Then come get me..." He whispered back, feeling the harshness in his voice. He hadn't expected it to come out so angry. A screeching yell escaped it's mouth and it ran towards him. He held his sword out, wanting to strike but finding himself not quick enough. He felt the black fuzzy body slam against him, sending him floating across the sky and smacking against a tree. He felt like a rock to the ground, but held his sword tight. He pushed himself back on his feet and watched the giant insect. He saw it breathing slowly as it stood, watching his every movement. It ran towards him again, again too quick. He held his breath and felt his heart pounding madly. He couldn't fight this.

He held his sword in front of him and awaited the next powerful blow. As he waited he felt the earth move beneath him and he looked down seeing a root poking out from the ground. The creature jumped at him and the root expanded, emerging out of the ground just as fast as the bug had jumped. The monstrous root sprouted out between them. It twisted and shoved it's giant mass into the black bug's round belly. It's scream was silenced for a short second until root twisted around it's body and grabbed it, pulling it up towards the rooftop of the forest. The root continued growing in size and ended up hitting Link, knocking him on his back.

The root continued to elevate until it hit the roof of the trees, and it tossed the monster in the air. It reached out, catching it again and tightening around it's hard and fuzzy shell. The root then began to steadily retreat into the dirt, stopping when the monster's weight touched earth. The twigs and vines hanging around began to join the king root in it's game. They grew and wrapped tightly around the body of the overgrown spider-like creature. It screeched and continued to shake it's legs and head violently, until the twigs and small roots grasped hold of them and kept them still. The monster screeched loudly while it was being held down.

"Ah!" An echoing scream of a young girl raced through the forest. Link's heart started to race as he thought about Zelda again.

"Zelda!" He grabbed his sword, ignoring the root and beast, and took off in the direction he heard her voice. Murray and Taren didn't follow; they were still frozen in fear at the giant battle that was taking place.

Link ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Twigs and weak branches smacked and snapped in his face, but he ignored the scratches and bruises he was receiving and continued to run. She screamed again and he called out for her again. "I'm coming!" He let the words sail ahead, hoping somehow that they would get to her.

He came upon a spacious area. The air was light and it was lit by the golden aurora of thousands of fairies. They were playing in the leaves of a monstrous sized tree, centered in the middle of this tiny and untouched paradise. He walked over to the tree. It was incredibly huge, fifty times his size. He placed his small hand and slid it across the smooth bark of the trunk.

"I'm up here." Zelda had heard him coming and looked down at him, watching him as he looked up at her. She didn't blush this time as he watched her, wondering how she was able to climb such a large tree.

"How'd you get up there? And what was with the screaming?" He asked her. She smiled down to him and brushed her hair away, looking at all the giant branches. She looked down at him as he stood in the golden light. His hair was floating and his eyes were brighter. This place had an effect on her too. She felt lighter and calmer being there.

"Well... I don't remember getting up here. I was screaming because a bug attacked me..." She leaned back and sat closer to the trunk. "But it's safe here. They protect me." Link blinked.

"Who?" He looked around, trying to see any other people standing around here. It wouldn't have surprised him to see a bunch of ghost standing around the tree. He could believe anything at this point.

_"We do."_

The fairies mimicked the voice. Link looked up and saw them wandering and hiding in the giant branches. "We do!" Their voices were loud and high, and together gave him a headache. Link rubbed his right ear and smiled back up at her. He watched the fairies as they hid when he looked at them.

He watched them for only a short time longer when he heard a scream in the distance. He turned to the direction he had come from, hearing the queen screech once again.

_"The queen has escaped."_

The fairies repeated it in crying voices and sped back up into the sheltering leaves with Zelda. They stayed close to her as if they were trying to protect her. Link watched the trail, feeling himself shake as he thought about the monster he had seen.

"The queen?" He felt more nervous now. She must have been the queen of all the insects. The wind blew softly making his ears ring.

It didn't take long for the midnight black creature to find him again. It took sight of Link first thing and screeched again. "YOU CANNOT ESCAPE MY WILL!" It pounced towards him, but hadn't realized the great tree that lay behind him. A huge root poked from the peaceful soft dirt and smacked the queen hard across the body. Link drew his sword, making himself ready for battle if he had to fight.

The monster rolled back onto it's feet and hissed at the root. The plant wiggled in the air.

_"Further progression will cause you to bleed."_

It growled, glaring at the root with both of it's solid blue eyes. "WHY PROTECT THEM? THEY ONLY CONTROL YOUR WORLD WHILE YOU SIT AND WATCH IT HAPPEN! WITH HIM DEAD, _**I **_CAN RULE OVER THIS PLANET! _**WE **_CAN RULE!!" The root smacked the dirt and shook the ground.

_"Parasites have a place. The top is not meant for you. If it were there would be no issues. Go back into the dirt!"_

The root slammed against her body and she tumbled across the ground. She screamed but forced herself back onto her feet as quickly as she fell down. Once again she tried to attack Link, but the root continued to fight her. She hissed and slowly paced near it. "I'm sick of you!" Her voice pierced through the air violently. Link swallowed hard and Zelda scooted farther up the branch. The queen spit a ball of acid towards the root. It was too big to avoid the snot. It shook from the burning. A small trail of smoke emitted off the red and hot area. "Why must you continue to struggle? Give up you worthless plant!" She took her opportunity and slid her eleven sharp fangs into the veins of the plant.

The plant squealed and sucked back into the hole. The fairies yipped and flew higher into the tree. Zelda watched the helpless creatures flutter and worry. "He's poisoned! The queen poisoned the Great Deku Tree!" They whined and cried. The tree had rapidly added a darker tint of gray into it's beautiful bark, which soon took a hard texture.

_"You have no respect. An empire would die under a creature as harmful as you..."_

The queen hissed and laughed. "Save it, Deku. You'll need the strength..." She whispered and hooted proudly. The wind wasn't blowing, but the leaves of the trees were moving. The queen knocked down one behind her with her back leg. "Shut up, worthless twigs!" She growled. Link sliced his sword through the air, which was growing heavy.

"Why don't you fight something that can defend itself?" Link couldn't believe he had said it. His eyes widened as he locked eyes with the black beast. She laughed and edged towards him.

"What?" She groaned. "You? A scrawny human with a knife? Sad that your the soul needed to complete my ritual." She lunged forward and pressed her weight down on his body. She was just too fast for him. He dropped his sword and she held him down; he wasn't strong enough to push her off.

"Link!" Zelda screamed from the tree. He felt the pressure from the fuzzy hot body press harder against him. She hissed and he tried his best to keep her off him.

Link pictured the best picture of Rais he could grasp in memory. He continued to repeat 'Help' in his head and thought of Rais. His head began throbbing. He ignored it and thought only of Rais. Just Rais. Everything he had ever done with Rais. The training, the talking, the battles, and even the fight. Rais was the only thing he had on his mind. _Just Rais._

_"...HELP ME..."_

Everything was hurting and his mind was screaming. He wanted to get out and he felt like he was trying to exit his body. He held himself back and felt himself come back into reality. The queen was still on top of him and he saw all of her pearl white fangs glittering above him. But it faded away as he felt his friend's soul touch him.

His heart pounded until he felt a sensation melt around his mind like water. He felt himself relax as his soul connected to a well known friend. He felt as if he had known him better know than he ever had.

_"I'm coming!"_

He could hear Rais's thoughts. He had done it! He had connected to Rais and spoke with him telepathically. Their minds were connected together; making it seem and feel like they were the same person. He felt Rais pulling away from him, letting go of his soul and shoving him back into the real world.

"_You're going to die if you don't protect yourself! Let go!"_

In an instant Rais was gone and Link was face to face with the queen again. He heard her purr as she held him against the dirt. He struggled as he felt her body on top of him. She was as hot as a giant fireball.

"You're going to die…" He saw her fangs edging closer to his head, knowing she was wanting to bite it off. He shook and fought effortlessly beneath her.

A rock smacked against the bug's body. She yelled in annoyance and looked up at Zelda, who was standing on the branch while a fairy provided another rock. She tossed it again, this time it hit the queen in the right eye. The queen hissed. "Stupid girl!" She climbed off Link and charged towards the tree. She jumped and snapped her fangs, barely catching Zelda's foot. Zelda let out a cry and moved higher on the branch. Three fairies flew close to her side.

The queen took another jump and grabbed hold of the thick branch. She swung around and climbed on top of it. She laughed and crawled towards Zelda who had no escape, unless she jumped. The queen attempted to attack; but the fairies flew in front of Zelda. All three turned into a bright crimson red ball of light and rapidly flew around the queen's eyes. She waved her front legs in the air trying to catch the fast magic creatures, but she wasn't as quick as they were. She then lost balance and began to slide off.

The Great Deku Tree was too weak to keep itself together. The weight on the branch from the queen forced it to snap in half. The queen fell, the branch fell, and so did Zelda.

"Ahh!" She fell down towards the dirt, but crashed into Link's hands and he broke her fall. They slide across the dirt before stopping. Link grabbed her and pulled her out of the way of the falling branch. It crashed and snapped in half once more from the fall. Link and Zelda panted hard, and to utter disappointment looked over to the living queen.

She laughed and spit acid towards them. Link stood in front of Zelda, holding his sword in front of him.

"There's no one to help you now…"

They could both feel her purr.

-

I'm going to get arthritis in my hand from all of these stories that I type up. Ah… oo

Nooo!

Keep going… you can't stop now after getting this far, can you?


	12. Bittersweet

Since I really cut up these last two chapters, they were the hard part. I had to do a lot of adding and thinking when I redid these last two.

So, I hope you enjoy…

_**Chapter 12 - Bittersweet**_

Link squeezed the sword in his palms. It was old and he'd been using the tool for quite some time. The queen hissed. "You're a pain!" She paced back and forth in front of him and Zelda. He kept the swords sharp tip pointed towards the black beast. She laughed and continued her taunting. "Pathetic, you know. The piercing of the great Deku's roots could not take me down! You think your stub can?" He said nothing and kept his eyes on her. She purred and edged closer.

She found her chance and shot. Her pounce was so fast and fierce Link hadn't the time to think about his reaction. Her pearl fangs went for his head, but he shoved his sword forward into her mouth. The sword pushed her back and she half flipped in the air and choked while she hit the ground. She rolled over off her side and to her feet. Zelda ran to Link and grasp his shoulder. They watched the queen struggle with the silver item stuck in her throat. She gagged and liquid seeped from the corners of her poisonous mouth.

Link watched and prayed she would die as he did. She continued struggling and tossing her body around, her immediate reaction to having the sword shoved into her hot throat. Zelda shook gently against him. He wasn't shaking anymore.

The queen made an eerie groan and acid flung up from her throat. Steam began to slide off the sides of the silver blade. She growled and the not-so-mighty weapon snapped in half. The handle and half the blade fell at her furry legs. The remaining piece in her mouth was small enough for her to spit out and she saved herself from suffocation. Both pieces of the sword were drenched in a puddle of acid; slowly being deteriorated. She gently rocked her fangs to and fro between her lips and softly moaned.

Link and Zelda backed up until they couldn't any longer. Their backs came to a tree and they both stopped and leaned back against it. The queen approached them, acid still hanging like drool from her lips. She breathed hard while she stepped towards her prize. She was almost done with what she had started long before.

"You… you escaped me…" Link jerked as his light eyes met her crystal blue ones. He watched her but listened to her speak. He didn't feel he could fight anymore. What could he do? He had no sword. "For sixteen years I have awaited the death of you…"

Link felt Zelda's grip tighten around him. He watched the fanged beast as she sucked the hope out of him through her eyes. "Me… why me?" If there was anything threatening about him it was just that he protected the castle. There was nothing else he had that was important. He was just a soldier, in all reality.

She hissed and he could feel her hot breath. "You do not know what you are?" He saw her fangs shape a pearl grin. "In your very soul is the power of life. You are holding it. Just like your brother, who is holding death…"

Link watched her as she danced and moved her head in circles. He saw the grin never leave her face. He had a brother.

The crystal eyes fixed upon Zelda, who hid behind Link once their eyes met. "You are no exception to this cycle, noble. I can see your power sown around your soul. You hold law." She hissed, amused at Zelda's fear. "Your father did not know he held it. He passed it unto you when you were born unknowingly. People listen to you because of it… your family would have been overthrown if it had not been for their secret." Zelda shut her eyes, trying to keep the attention off her. The queen turned back to Link, who stared hard at her.

"A brother?" He glared at her as she purred and hissed.

"Corono." The queen lowered her body and Link pushed Zelda back, sensing the danger. She laughed as the continued to walk backwards, trying to find escape. "He was a disappointment. I ended up having to kill you myself. This won't hurt; it will all be over shortly, young ones."

The queen leaped at Link. He held his arms above his face and Zelda screamed. The queen could only smile at her forthcoming prize.

The queen dropped at the sudden slicing of her legs. Rais stood next to her as she dropped to the ground, bleeding through the openings. All of her left legs had been cut off by him.

Her crystal eyes trailed until they locked with his. He didn't show any emotion; only stared at the beast. She screeched. "_You!_"

Rais held a large red sword in his only hand. "Yes… it's me." Link and Zelda gasped when they saw them.

"Rais!" It came out without Link wanting it too. He looked at him in the corner of his eyes and Link turned away, pretending not to care. Rais smiled when Link turned back. Link sighed, relieved.

The queen squirmed in the dirt, trying to get up. Rais approached her screaming body and held the sword in front of him.

Rais sliced his sword through the middle of the beast. She had no time to squeal or scream, she died immediately. Her acid was pure white, and it gave the dirt a burning smell. Rais's sword was sucked into the blood and shattered into a million pieces from contact with the glue. Rais watched it as it dissolved into the acid, blowing off steam as it disappeared.

Link watched until the sword was gone before walking over to Rais. He studied the queen but was satisfied she was dead. Zelda ran over to Rais and hugged him. Link approached and Zelda stood next to Rais, watching them.

"I didn't think she could be killed by a sword…" He didn't know how to talk to Rais now. The last conversation they had Rais disowned him. Rais gave him the I-know-what-you're-thinking smile.

"Nothing is stronger than the Sword of Death," He explained while turning to the dead body. "Well, I guess the Sword of Life..." He told him. The Death Sword was not strong enough to withstand the blood of it's own creator. But Link smiled. It was really over this time, and he was sure of it. He watched Rais before his concentration was broken by Zelda. She hugged him and Link looked up nervously at Rais. Rais blink, but smiled.

Link smiled and looked down at Zelda, who blushed and jumped away. Link watched her as she stood nervously next to him. Zelda grinned and thought, _Damn! I didn't blush earlier! Why now?_

She felt Link's arm wrap around her and pull her close to his side. She felt her face going beat red, but she didn't fight him.

Rais looked around them, noticing the thick air escaping through the rooftops of the forest. The trees and plants were wilting. The trees all slowly fell and painted a scratchy brown on their bright green leaves, while all the plants died one after another. They watched each plant kill itself, no will left in any of them to live. The fairies scattered and fled away from the Great Deku Tree without a sound, feeling the death in the woods. Before they had realized it, the whole forest was completely dead.

"The forest..." Zelda felt a heavy sorrow drop on top of her. Rais looked at them and then turned back to the dead wasteland. There was nothing left.

"Don't worry.." He replied while staring at the ground. "A fairy will always bring life back to a forgotten place." Link looked up at the sky.

"But they all left.." He mumbled. Rais sighed.

"Sometimes it takes awhile. Sometimes it doesn't. Either way, a fairy will always come back. One will come back to restore him, no matter how long it takes." Rais looked at the giant gray tree. It was emotionless as it sat there, all the life it had now suddenly gone. He looked up at it's branches, admiring how high they had grown. "Although, it will take some time for it to return to that size... but the rebirth will replenish the forest as good as the other had."

Zelda wiped her tears away and stared at the blue sky. The queen had told her a lot of things. She had listened even though she didn't want to. Did she tell the truth, or was it all a lie?

Link watched Rais as they followed him through the brown woods. He had messed up so many times and now it was like Rais had completely forgiven him. It made him feel even worse. Rais was there for him his entire life and yet he always had a rotten need to disobey him. He looked at the empty space where his arm should have been. He felt his stomach tighten.

Rais walked calmly ahead of them both.

-

You're almost done… as sad as it is, there's only one chapter left. Aw. L

I know this was a SHORT chapter. But, it's still how I wanted everything to go.


	13. Back to Hyrule

So sad! The final CHAPTER!

But it's good… no reason to give up now!

_**Chapter 13 - Back to Hyrule**_

The inhabitants of Orma left it by it's lonesome. It completely died, it's center of life being the Great Deku Tree. However, the rest of the planet was still flourishing and living normally. The king had lost his control of the planet millions of years ago.

King Hylian was furious with the mess Zelda lost herself in. He took her on the same ship as himself and didn't allow anyone else on unless they were royals. Link's entrance was refused by him.

A soldier took care of who went on and who didn't. He shook his head when Link tried to aboard. "Sorry..." He tapped his stick against the ground, "You may live in the palace but the king states you are the reason his daughter almost fell to her ultimate doom..." Link growled and stomped the ground.

"Your king shouldn't judge someone he hasn't even met." He snickered, "He wasn't even there, he doesn't know what happened. I saved her." After letting the last word bounce to the man's ears, Link turned and walked back down the dead town. Rais had not even yet tried to board and ship and head back to Hyrule. Link approached him.

He scratched his head while Rais leaned against the wall. Link walked up to him and Rais looked at him, waiting for him to say something. "Um, Rais?"

Rais watched him and waited. After an uncomfortable pause he smiled. "Yes, Link?" Link put his arms behind his back and took a breath.

"I'm… I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I never listened to you and I'm sorry that I almost got you killed. I was an idiot." He waited for Rais to answer and felt uncomfortable in the silence.

"Link," He paused and turned to him. "My arm was never your problem. That was my choice," He closed his eyes and turned his head. "As for you apologizing for your disobedience, I accept it." Link smiled but Rais didn't. "I won't however," He paused. "Be your guardian." Link blinked and let out a sigh.

"Why?"

Rais ran his hand over the area where his arm once hung. "You've seen enough and done enough to know how to handle yourself..." He took his hand away. "You don't need me anymore. You did fine for the time you were by yourself." Link was going to respond but a boat siren interrupted him. They both looked at the last ship filling a few more people on to the ship. Rais walked past Link and towards it. "Come on," He said. "Let's get going."

Link followed him and whistled for Epona. She came and intelligently headed for the bottom of the ship. The surprised sailors watched the horse even pick it's own stall. She nudged her empty bucket for food and stomped the ground. The confused man grabbed it and went to fill it.

Link and Rais hung out near the front of the ship where they could see King Hylians' easily. The rest of the people on the boat danced to the music that was playing or sat around drinking and chatting.

"Rais…" They were both leaning over the side of the ship when Link asked. Rais turned his head. "The queen… she said a lot of things to me before you came." Rais stood next to him without a response. Link continued, "She told me that I was the holder of life. Just weird things… she said I had a brother." He continued to wait for Rais to respond, but he said nothing. "I… when I was younger, you had a book in my room."

Rais blinked and turned to look at Link. Link didn't look at in, for he was in fear he would be upset.

"I see." Rais turned back. "So, you weren't completely confused about the queen and the King, were you?"

"No… I remembered the story really well…" Link watched the water beneath the boat. "Did you write it, Rais?"

He heard Rais laugh and when he looked at him he saw him smile. "It was… something I took from someone. Just like the Sword of Death."

Link continued to listen.

"Brother… your brother is only a half brother. You have the same mother…" Link's eyes widened, startled. "But not in that way… your mother was forced to have him."

"Oh." It was an upsetting thing to hear even though he never knew his parents.

"There are certain people in this world who hold a vital power in their soul. Some have more than one. It all just depends. You have Life. Corono has Death. Zelda has Law." Rais looked down at the water watching the same waves as Link.

"How did the queen know you… she seemed like she knew who you were." Rais stared at the water as Link continued to empty himself of questions.

"I hold two powers… Wisdom and Feelings. They sound dull in comparison to the others, but that's what I was given from my parents. That's how." It didn't sound like a fulfilling answer to Link but he didn't pester Rais about it.

The water below the ship was crystal blue and clear, while birds flew and sang overhead. Link leaned over and watched the water slush around. He thought about all the things that had happened to him.

It all started on in that little cabin on the open farm. One random day Aunt Tia wanted to go into town and sell a shipment for some money. The next thing he knew Raggy was helping him load onto the ship and head for Hyrule.

And then the annoying thugs. The sick men beat him and threw his entire collection of belongings into the ocean. Then they forced him to work on their ship, while he never received a dime of the nice paychecks they got for that.

But that's when he met his mysterious new guardian. He taught him how to fight and survive under tough conditions, he beat them all and even figured how to talk telepathically by himself. Rais never truly knew how much Link really appreciated him, even though he started to misbehave when he got older.

And then he met the person who really made his heart thump and eyes melt. He sometimes found it hard to talk or breathe when he was near her, and he almost lost her a few times at that. It sort of was his fault that she almost got killed a few times anyway, but he had protected her from the queen, and realistically she wouldn't be around if he weren't there.

The queen really messed with his mind. He was sure she'd kill him and eat his remains, but it turned out her taunting gave him enough stalling time to defeat the witch. She was powerful, but the Great Deku Tree was smarter and knew far better what he was doing. He had even protected Zelda from her wrath, and Link had swallowed a lot of respect for him.

And it all ended in a tragic but good way. Orma was dead, but so was the queen and it counted greatly. The queen would have killed the human race just with a slice of Link's throat. She had many chances; but her pleasure in making Link suffer ruined her chance. She destroyed herself without any empire at all.

Something pink swam close to the water's surface. Link held his breath and leaned closer. The pink skin expanded and the giant form of an octopus swam by the ship. It's bright skin was sparkling in the warm sunny, cloudless sky. Link gasped at it's size and complexity. The last time he tried looking for sea creatures he only glimpsed his belongings floating by, but this time he found something he wasn't even looking for.

The other townsfolk watched it in awe. The kids pointed at it and giggled and some ignored it.

Link looked at the ship ahead and saw Zelda watching it go by too. She looked up to him and smiled. Rais laughed and Link jerked towards him.

Rais smiled at him and he smiled back. Rais winked and Link could only grin wider.

Regardless of whether or not he was Link's guardian, Link knew he would always be there when he needed him. He didn't need someone who would watch over him and tell him what to do. He just needed him to be there.

He returned his attention to Zelda while Rais turned to his secret thoughts.

The octopus swam over once more before disappearing into the depths of the crystal ocean, hiding away back in it's secrecy.

-

The barren wasteland's only sound was the disturbing wind blowing over the cracked ground. The queen's body had dissolved in her own blood, while the Great Deku Tree's ugly brown braches wilted over or broke off.

The air around had grown uncomfortable and heavy like the rest of the forest once was. The fairies magic were no longer swimming through it, which had always made it bright and gave it a lighter feeling.

It seemed to have grown dull and unwanted, until a little green ball of light fluttered through the darkening sky. It skimmed it's way towards the Great Deku Tree and stared up at him. It grew sad when it realized he was gone. It was silent and watched the lifeless form rest peacefully.

"My king!" It yelped. "I need your seed!" It waited and finally a quiet tapping from the top of the roof began to echo. A small white glowing seed dropped from branch to branch and fell to the ground at the fairies wings. It picked up the seed and headed a small ways away from the massive tree.

It dug a small hole and tossed the glowing seed into the pit. It buried it while small sparks of magic followed it into the ground. It spoke, "I am finished, my king," It stated, "The war is over, and Life goes on."

-

And so it ends.

Hopefully, it was an enjoyable and fun story that only let you want to read more. If it was a story that you really like and now your thirsty for more… then I've done what I wanted to do. Write a likable story.

I've been thinking about a sequel… I think I could do it and make it just as good as this one.

And so…

**Special thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys are AWESOME! Every last one of ya!**

_**Saturday, 4 - 22 - 06**_

_**The Other Side**_


End file.
